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August 2014www.wireropenews.com

World’s Longest BridgeThe Akashi Straits Bridge conquers treacherous watersstory on page 8

Marine Lifesaving and SalvageHistoric rescue efforts involving wire ropestory on page 34

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Wire Rope News & Sling Technology August 2014 7

Cover photo:Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Kobe, Japan, taken on July 15th, 2011.See article, page 8.

Wire Rope Critical Component of World’s Longest Bridge – and Some Predecessors ........8

The Akashi Straits Bridge learns lessons from historic birdges around the world and takes them a step further.By Peter Hildebrandt.

As Technology Changes, Exploration Equipment Relies on an ExpandingVariety of Lines ..............................................16

Searching the seas for lost and forgotten vessels utilizes the lastest innovations to get the job done.By Henry Vere.

Wire Rope Does its Part in PreservingCosta Rican and Puerto Rican Rainforests ...24

Wire rope isn’t only made for heavy work applications. Lately it’s been a staple of an ever growing entertainment industry: touring the jungles on zip lines.By Victor Mendez.

Wire Rope a Later Step in Evolution ofMarine Lifesaving and Salvage efforts ........34

A short history of rescue efforts and how wire rope plays a part when things take a turn for the worst.By Peter Hildebrandt.

August 23, 2014

Edward Bluvias, IIIPublisher & Editorial Director

Barbara SpencerContributing Editor/Suppliers Directory

Patricia BluviasCirculation Director

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Vol. 35, No. 6

Contents

Features

Advertiser’s Index ..............................................79Steel Industry News ..........................................47The Inventor’s Corner ........................................60New Products ....................................................75People in the News ............................................77Classified ...........................................................80

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Wire Rope News & Sling Technology August 20148

by Peter Hildebrandt

Wire Rope Critical Component of World’s Longest Bridge

– and Some Predecessors The Akashi Straits in Japan is one of the world’s busiest waterways, linking Kobe on the mainland with a very densely populated outer island. Ferries have always carried passengers across the straits. But this treacherous waterway often experiences severe storms and in 1955 a pair of ferries sank in the strait due to a storm – 168 people died in those accidents.

The ensuing shock and public out-rage about these ferry tragedies convinced the Japanese govern-

ment to develop plans for a suspension bridge to cross the strait. The primary plan called for a blended railway-road bridge, but when construction on the bridge began in April 1988, it was re-stricted to road only, with six lanes. Actual construction did not begin until May 1988, and the bridge was opened for traffic on April 5, 1998.

Though the amazing structure fea-tures the latest in building technology and maintenance, this longest of mod-ern bridges also finds its roots in seven earlier bridge projects on the other side of the world from this one; each of these innovations in early bridge build-ing would stretch the limits of technol-ogy in construction, as well as eventu-ally leading to the construction of the

engineering marvel of the bridge over the Akashi Straits.

The first dates back to the 1700s when a critical bridge was constructed at Shropshire in England where, in 1779, the nascent industrial revolu-tion desperately needed a way across the 30 foot wide River Severn. The purity of the area’s coke resources al-lowed especially strong cast iron to be created for the bridge which would be constructed. The old stone arch design simply would not work in straddling the 30 meter wide river. The serendip-ity of the superior coke in the area to make this bridge possible has led to the creation and construction of the bridge that remains over this now-quiet river in modern times.

Seventeen hundred precast sections of iron in five semi-circular ribs form the bridge’s graceful arch. The bridge

weighs relatively little – 380 tons – and ended up being named the Iron Bridge. The use of such brand-new technology with cast iron, resulted in a bridge that looks surprisingly close to a structure constructed from wooden timbers.

This technological advancement in lightness of construction was carried forth in the building of the Akashi Straits Bridge which has prefabricated lattice work and contains more than a quarter million tons of steel. Steel, how-ever, does have one great drawback: it rusts. Typhoons haunt the waterway on a yearly basis. To fight the corrosion from the wind and water left in their wake, rust-tracking robots scour the bridge’s superstructure and when they find any problems call in robot painters to patch things up.

Beneath the bridge hang three gan-tries which enable the required main-tenance on the bridge to take place without interfering with the traffic just above on the bridge. The Menai Straits was another location where a bridge had the possibility of bringing about tremendous change. A bridge at this location had the ability to reduce the travel time from Dublin, Ireland to London, England by nine hours.

Building a bridge similar to the Iron Bridge was impractical as scaffold-ing required during construction was unacceptable as it would block river traffic on the busy waterway below. Therefore the answer for this construc-tion were stone towers for the bridge’s suspension. Anchors extend into the rocky bank some 18 meters in length. The only way that the anchors for this bridge can fail is if the rock that hold the bridge’s suspension in place fail. This bridge used cast iron sections for the suspension. Over 180 years later the anchorages still hold the bridge in place; one thousand vehicles cross the

You can practically feel the vertigo in this view of Kobe from the top.Photo courtesy of Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Co., Ltd.


continued on next page

The bridge seems to span the entire horizon in this night photo. Photo © Japan National Tourism Organization.

river on the old bridge each week.On the Akashi bridge there were no

rocks on the bank to anchor the mon-strous structure. Holes ended up be-ing dug and over 230,000 cubic meter of concrete poured into them, in turn holding mammoth metal frames in place. Those concrete-metal anchors extend into the ground some 60 me-ters. The only difference in this ar-rangement and that at the bridge at the Menai Straits is that the rock ma-terial hooking the endings is man made concrete and not natural rock material.

The differences are simply ones of scale and engineering. Gaps in the con-crete allow the heat to dissipate so that the concrete does not crack as it is set-ting. Once set, those gaps are filled and the result is a solid block 50 meters in height – as well as 60 meters below the ground, analogous to an iceberg.

In 1851 work would start on the sus-pension bridge across the 820 foot wide (250 meters) gorge at Niagara Falls. Here, strength would be the techno-logical hurdle to overcome. The previ-ously-used cast iron sections included in earlier bridge construction would be far too heavy for use in this setting. 300 tons would have to span across the gorge on this new bridge.

In 1845, 300 people crowded onto a

suspension bridge at Great Yarmouth, England to watch a circus stunt per-formed below. As the geese pulling a man in a barrel pass under them on the water below, the spectators all move to the other side of the bridge deck, creat-ing a sudden unbalance. The bridge’s main chain snaps and 79 are killed in the plunge of the deck into the river.

Some six years later, the power of wire rope cable came into play as the stretch-ing of a material Roebling’s bridge was supported by two limestone towers on each side of the gorge. These tow-ers – reminiscent of structures found in Egypt – stood 88 feet (27 m) tall on the American shore and 78 feet (24 m) tall on the Canadian shore. With their foundations 28 feet (8.5 m) in the earth, the limestone structures could support up to 12 million pounds or 5.4 million kg). Four 10.5-inch (27 cm) thick main cables held up the bridge; two cables ran through iron saddles at the top of each tower. Each cable comprised 3,059 wires that were spun with John Roe-bling’s patented technique used in his Allegheny Suspension Aqueduct.

The ends of each cable were secured to 6-square-foot (0.56 m2) cast-iron plates sunk 20–30 feet (6.1–9.1 m) deep in the bedrock. Support lines hung down from iron clamps that encircled

the main cables, and held up the decks. Deep trusses – never before seen on a large suspension bridge – lined the sides of the bridge, and joined the two decks on the structure so it looked like a cage. Trussed sides and the upper and lower decks, which spanned 825 feet (251 m), formed a “hollow straight beam”, strengthening the rigidness of the bridge.

The Suspension Bridge was further stiffened by guy-wires running from its upper deck to the top of its towers. Crit-icism of suspension bridges lingered in the wake of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge collapse in 1854 during strong winds in 1854. To address these con-cerns, Roebling added more guy-wires to secure the lower deck to the shores below. Roebling’s efforts ensured that his Suspension Bridge remained stand-ing while other suspension bridges across the Niagara River collapsed be-cause of strong winds.

Although he was not the first engi-neer to appreciate the need for a sus-pension bridge to be sufficiently rigid or to implement the methods to do so, Roebling was the first to understand the principles behind the methods and combine them in the building of a sus-pension bridge. Roebling proved that


continued from previous page

continued on page 12

despite popular opinion, properly built suspension bridges can safely support the passage of heavy railway traffic. The engineer’s combination of stiffen-ing methods created the first modern suspension bridge.

Such was the rigidity and strength of this innovative new suspension bridge that it withstood the shockwave caused by the nearby fall of a 5,000-short-ton rock in 1863; the force caused a wave to ripple through the decks of the bridge from the American side to the Cana-dian side and back.

The Akashi Bridge has a massive collection of cables strong enough to support 90 Niagara Bridges. One of its main cables is over a meter in diameter and composed of thousands of smaller cables. The first bundle of 127 wires was taken across by helicopter, instead of by pulley as in the case of the Niaga-ra Gorge Bridge. Each of the cables on the Akashi Bridge weighs some 25,000 tons, in addition to containing enough wire to circle the earth seven times.

The Brooklyn Bridge, a younger cous-in of the Niagara Gorge railway bridge, had to discover a way to deal with the

problem of constructing the anchors for its support towers out in the 1969 foot (600 meter) wide, swift-flowing East River. The mucky river bottom is far too soft to support the proposed bridge towers so as a result the wood cais-son was developed. With this method a water-tight wooden box was floated out to where the foundations would be and sunk down into the mud so work-ers could reach the bedrock below.

Eventually the wooden caisson it-self would be filled with concrete to, in turn, serve as the bridge’s tower foundation. To achieve a solid founda-tion for the bridge, workers excavated the riverbed in massive wooden boxes called caissons. These airtight cham-bers were pinned to the river’s floor by enormous granite blocks and air under pressure was pumped in to remove wa-ter and debris.

“Sandhogs” – mainly immigrants who earned some $2 a day – shoveled and blasted to clear away the mud and boulders at the bottom of the river. Each week, the caissons crept closer to the bedrock. When they reached an ad-equate depth – 44 feet on the Brooklyn side and 78 feet on the Manhattan side

– granite was laid as they worked their way back above ground.

Issues involved with the caissons, including a deadly disease bearing the name of the structure, were worked out. The “bends” a sometime fatal afflic-tion caused by gases coming out in the blood when decompression happened too quickly, could be avoided by simply slowing the decompression process. The Akashi Bridge used the same principle but vastly improved technology for sink-ing its towers’ foundations, swapping wood for huge round steel structures sunk to the base bedrock and filled.

The Golden Gate Bridge developed technology for making the bridge tow-ers much higher than in the case of the Brooklyn Bridge. Innovative steel pan-els made the construction of these vast-ly higher towers possible, as was the case with construction of the Askashai Bridge’s even loftier structures across a much wider stretch of water.

To deal with the terrible storms in the typhoon alley of the area, the bridge builders took a cue from the construction of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge at the entrance to New York

The towers of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan seem distorted from the wide-angle lens used to take this photograph at sunset.Photograph © somphop via iStockPhoto.com.

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Harbor. That structure contains an open grid structure underneath to al-low the structure to stay as stable as possible and to allow strong winds to continued on page 14

continued from page 10 pass beneath the 12 lanes of traffic in two levels on the bridge.

The Akashi Bridge took things even further with special “wind tunnel” structures to funnel the wind quickly

through the bridge’s deck structure. Scientists had one last detail to deal with – that of the great earthquake danger in one of the most seismically active areas in the world. They took flexi-bility of the steel towers and ten ton dampeners within to lessen the power and force of the vibrating earth. When tested, the dampeners re-duced side to side movement appreciably.

In the end, the bridge was constructed with three spans. Its central span is 1,991 m (6,532 ft), and the two other sections are each 960 m (3,150 ft). The bridge is 3,911 m (12,831 ft) long overall. The two towers were originally 1,990 m (6,529 ft) apart: an earthquake which came to be known as the Great Hanshin Earthquake on January 17, 1995, moved

the towers enough – only the towers had been erected at the time – that the span had to be increased by one meter (3.3ft).

The bridge’s two hinged stiffening

View near the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. Photo courtesy of Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Co., Ltd.

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continued from page 12girder system, allows the withstand-ing of winds of 286 kilometres per hour (178 mph), earthquakes measuring up to magnitude 8.5, and rough sea cur-rents. The bridge contains pendulums able to operate at the resonance fre-quency of structure to dampen forces. The two main supporting towers rise 282.8 m (928 ft) above sea level, and the bridge can expand because of heat by up to 2 m (7 ft) over the course of a day. Each anchorage required 350,000 tonnes (340,000 long tons; 390,000 short tons) of concrete. The steel ca-bles have 300,000 kilometres (190,000 miles) of wire: each cable is 112 centi-meters (44 inches) in diameter and con-tains 36,830 strands of wire.

The Akashi-Kaikyo bridge has a total of 1,737 illumination lights: 1,084 for the main cables, 116 for the main tow-ers, 405 for the girders and 132 for the anchorages. On the main cables three high light discharged tubes are mount-ed in the colors red, green and blue. The red-green-blue (RGB) model and com-puter technology make for a variety of combinations for lighting the bridge.

The total cash outlay for the bridge is estimated at 500 billion yen, and is expected to be repaid by charging driv-

ers a toll to cross the bridge. The toll is 2,300 yen and the bridge is used by approximately 23,000 cars per day. At 2300 yen/car annual revenue would equal 19.5 billion yen.

Given the interest expense on 500 billion yen, this bridge, perhaps may never be repaid. But then again, annual revenue is around 4% of investment, so

with near zero interest rates in Japan, the bridge should be able to pay for it-self in 30 years, plus enable the growth of the overall economy in the region. For the time being, the bridge remains the longest suspension bridge in the world, a technological wonder built on the innovations of seven previous bridges over the past 200 years. WRN

A view of the maintenance walkway, used during tours, leading to the lift that takes you to the top of the tower. Photo © Sean Pavone via iStockphoto.com



As Technology Changes,Exploration Equipment Relies on

an Expanding Variety of LinesFor as long as we’ve gone out on the water we’ve also needed to search underwater when things go wrong. Ropes tethered search equipment at first until remote, self-powered machinery needed ropes only to lower it into the water. Whether such equipment ever successfully locates the resting place of the Malaysian Airlines now-famous Flight 370 has yet to be seen. The odds may be worse than finding a needle in a haystack. But the best equipment, technology, wire and synthetic ropes remain available as the search continues.

by Henry Vere

Robert Ballard, famous for discov-ering the Titanic’s final resting place, has also been involved

in some 140 expeditions which he re-fers to as “wandering.” Since 72% of our planet is covered by the miracle of liquids – water – it makes sense that Ballard was drawn to the waters of the earth in his wanderings.

The average depth of the oceans of the world is 12,000 feet. Depths reach to 70,000 feet and 100,000 feet where pressures are unbearable for human life. Ballard takes pride in going to places no human has ever gone. But these excursions would not be possible with the tethers, connections and um-bilical cables involved, state-of-the-art

technology that makes life possible in this unbearable locations.

Ballard has made some discoveries that have changed the way we think about our undersea environs. The black smokes all along the mid-ocean ridges for instance are now known to be places where water goes both in and out of the earth’s crust. The chemistry

US Navy Mineman 3rd Class DustinMoore, assigned to the mine warfare ship USS Patriot (MCM 7), retrieves a mine neutralization vehicle (MNV) after the device conducted an underwater water mine survey.



of the seawater in turn changes as do the dynamics involved with the salti-ness of the water. In other deep sea discoveries Ballard located an animal with no digestive system; another crea-ture lives inside the first, doing that work in a symbiotic relationship.

Just to show how unglamorous the work of deep water exploration can be, Ballard mentions that on average it takes him two and a half hours to de-scend to the ocean bottom each morn-ing, another two and a half to ascend to the surface vessel after some two hours of actual work on the seafloor, with a mile – if that – covered laterally while down there. Ballard moved into robotic exploration in 1982, being drawn es-pecially to the great iconic shipwrecks of relatively recent time, such as the Titanic, Bismarck, and that of the air-craft carrier Yorktown near Midway Island. The Bismarck was found in 16,000 feet of water.

There is more history on the sea-

floor, according to Ballard, than in all the museums in the world. His more recent efforts have even yielded the remains of wooden wrecks from an-cient times, where in the Black Sea perfectly preserved ships, 1500 years old, some from 500 BCE contained hu-man remains. Unfortunately an area trawler destroyed the site before fur-ther exploration or preservation could be accomplished.

In 1983 President Reagan signed into law the idea that our jurisdiction as a nation extended 200 miles out to sea – increasing our country’s size by 50% al-beit much of it underwater. But at the same time we’ve now been given much more to explore, or exploit if we are not wise about the uses with which we put this windfall to. The United States now owns more undersea real estate than any other nation, 11,351,000 square ki-lometers and doubling our size.

The need for protection has never been more urgent and adequate under-water exploration equipment, instru-ments, technology and wire rope and

other lines will no doubt be in demand. Protection is needed, sanctuaries set aside, according to Ballard, though the pressure for mining, harvesting and extraction will be great. In 2009 an Ocean Exploration Trust was set up. Ballard purchased, very inexpensively, a retired East German spy ship which he converted for mapping the ocean floors and for further exploration. He has also created a Nautilus Corps of Exploration to encourage young future wanderers, 55% of which are mandated to be women; as Ballard explains it, the Lois and Clarks of the 21st Century, for undersea exploration.

NOAA doesn’t necessarily use any-thing special for their operations. They don’t normally specify any cables and try to use cables that are traditional, cables basically used as a standard throughout the oceanographic indus-try. Any oceanographic vessel support-ed by the fleet has to have that the type of cable on a drum.

“We’re not cable experts,” explains All photos courtesy of Egan Maritime Institute - Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum

ROV working on a subsea structure.




David Lovalvo, a NOAA contractor who is chief engineer with NOAA’s Deep Submergence Program in their Office of Exploration. “The cables that we use have a standard de-sign, though they are custom made through Rochester Wire and Cable, LLC, in Culpepper, Virginia. These are proven, tested products. Other firms that produced them include South Bay and Cortland.

“Our particular operation uses Roch-ester’s standard proven design of cable. It’s armored on the outside and has var-ious components on the inside, fiber op-tics, power conductors and has a special type of insulation. All of that is made to specifications. This is a very technical field and this is not just cable. Our soft cables used between two underwater vehicles are also made by Rochester.”

The cable is very highly engineered and it follows very rigorous specifica-tions, therefore the cable is also quite expensive, typically 200,000 dollars for 7,000 meters of armored cable. If the cable is not built right it doesn’t last. “We use the cable for ocean explora-tion,” adds Lovalvo. “We use it for our underwater robots, underwater ROVs for ocean exploration; we’re not in the oilfield business.

“There are also a whole bunch of different cables on the vehicles that connect components. In addition to tether cables and umbilical cables you have standard cables connecting components. A subma-rine, such as Alvin which was used in the explora-tion efforts during the search for Titanic, is not tethered but a camera collecting data for Alvin would be tethered and may contain fiber optics for photography.

“The cables are often re-ferred to as mechanical and electronic as they must have both incredible strength and contain components that allow the transfer of data. As an example, if you have your extension cord at home that you plug into your interior wall to power your drill; that extension cord doesn’t have a lot of strength. Despite it carry-ing electrical power, if you were to try to lift something with that cord you probably would damage it.”

The cables that NOAA

uses have a substantial component or member built into the cable design that surrounds the electrical compo-nents. This not only protects them but it takes the load needed on that cable without damaging the wiring or the fi-ber optics. If any load is placed on fiber optics cable that cable will be broken, according to Lovalvo. This load is sup-posed to be physically disconnected from that of the fiber optics component suspended from it.

“That’s really important as things be-come a little more complex,” adds Lo-valvo. “How things work when you ter-minate those cables can also be kind of interesting because you can terminate them in a variety of different ways and there are a variety of different types of connectors that you can purchase that allow you to terminate the cable.

“There are companies out there that make connectors that can be molded onto a cable or they can attach in some other way. That technology is then part of how these cables are used on these underwater vehicles. Wire rope is com-pletely different; there is no threat to that industry with the development of all this fastening technology.”

Critical for ropes both on land and at sea is testing. Roberts Testing Equip-ment tests a wide variety of wire rope slings and products, including materi-als used for offshore oil drilling proj-ects and exploration. The wire rope slings needed and used in the offshore oil industry for exploration and drill-

ing operations can be huge. The Rob-erts Testing Equipment’s test beds for such lines are wide enough for a fork lift to drive down the center. One test bed is for three million pounds. The bed is 206 feet long and eight feet six inches wide. The sling is so huge that it must be loaded into the test bed by a huge crane and the cover is put in place at the end of the test bed with a large forklift.

Much of that exploration will involve work with remotely operated under-water vehicle in ROV works for explo-ration of the undersea environment, including in the underwater oil and gas fields. The ROV is a tethered un-derwater vehicle. They are common in deep water industries such as offshore hydrocarbon extraction. ROVs are un-occupied, highly maneuverable, and operated by a crew aboard a vessel.

They’re linked to the ship by either a neutrally buoyant or, often when work-ing in rough conditions or in deeper water, a load-carrying umbilical cable is tethered as well as a tether manage-ment system or TMS (TMS). The TMS is either a garage-like device which con-tains the ROV during lowering through the splash zone or, on larger work-class ROVs, a separate assembly which sits on top of the ROV. The TMS lengthens and shortens the tether so the effect of cable drag where there are underwater currents is minimized.

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continued from page 18cable that contains a group of electri-cal conductors and fiber optics that carry electrical power, video, and data signals between the operator and the TMS. Where used, the TMS then re-lays the signals and power for the ROV down the tether cable. Once at the ROV, the electrical power is dis-tributed between the components of the ROV. However, in high-power ap-plications, most of the electrical power drives a high-power electrical motor which drives a hydraulic pump.

This pump is then used as a driving force and to power equipment such as torque tools and manipulator arms where electrical motors would be too difficult to implement subsea. Most ROVs are equipped with at least a video camera and lights. Additional equipment is commonly added to ex-pand the vehicle’s capabilities. These may include sonars, magnetometers, still camera, manipulator or cutting arm, water samplers, and instruments measuring water clarity, water tem-perature, water density, sound veloc-ity, light penetration, as well as tem-perature.

In the 1970s and ‘80s the Royal Navy used “Cutlet”, a remotely operated sub-

mersible, to recover practice torpedoes and mines. Submersible ROVs have been used to locate many historic ship-wrecks, as mentioned earlier, includ-ing such legendary ships as the RMS Titanic, Bismarck, Yorktown, and the gold-laden SS Central America. ROVs have been used to recover material from the sea floor and bring it to the surface. While the oil and gas industry uses the majority of ROVs, other appli-cations include science and military.

Work-class ROVs are built with a large flotation pack on top of an alu-

minium chassis to provide the neces-sary floatation to perform a variety of tasks. Syntactic foam is often used for the floatation material. A tooling skid may be fitted at the bottom of the system to accommodate a vari-ety of sensors or tooling packages. By placing the light components on the top and the heavy components on the bottom, the overall system has a large separation between the center of buoyancy and the center of gravity providing stability and the stiffness

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continued from page 20to do work underwater.

Electrical components can be in oil-filled water tight compartments or one-atmosphere compartments to protect them from corrosion in seawater and being crushed by the extreme pressure exerted on the ROV while working deep. Thrusters are usually in a vec-tored configuration to provide the most precise control as possible. The ROV will be fitted with cameras, lights and manipulators to perform basic work. Additional sensors and tools can be fit-ted as needed for specific tasks.

The majority of the work-class ROVs are built as described above; however, this is not the only style in ROV build-ing method. Specifically, the smaller ROVs can have very different designs, each geared towards its own task.

As their capabilities grow smaller ROVs are also increasingly being ad-opted by navies, coast guards, and port authorities around the globe, including the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy, Royal Netherlands Navy, the Norwegian Navy, the Royal Navy and the Saudi Border Guard. They have also been widely adopted by po-lice departments and search and re-covery teams. Useful for a variety of

underwater inspection tasks such as explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), meteorology, port security, mine coun-termeasures (MCM), and maritime ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Re-connaissance).

The United States Navy funded most of the early ROV technology de-velopment in the 1960s into what was then named a “Cable-Controlled Un-derwater Recovery Vehicle” (CURV). This created the capability to perform deep-sea rescue operation and recover objects from the ocean floor, such as a nuclear bomb lost in the Mediter-ranean Sea after the 1966 Palomares B-52 crash.

Building on this technology base; the offshore oil & gas industry cre-ated the work-class ROVs to assist in the development of offshore oil fields. More than a decade after they were first introduced, ROVs became essen-tial in the 1980s when much of the new offshore development exceeded the reach of human divers. During the mid-1980s the marine ROV industry suffered from serious stagnation in technological development caused in part by a drop in the price of oil and a global economic recession.

Since then, technological develop-

ment in the ROV industry has acceler-ated and today ROVs perform numer-ous tasks in many fields. Their tasks range from simple inspection of subsea structures, pipelines, and platforms, to connecting pipelines and placing underwater manifolds. They are used extensively both in the initial construc-tion of a sub-sea development and the subsequent repair and maintenance.

Perhaps due to its immortalizing in film, imagination and memory, the wreck of the Titanic remains per-haps one of the most famous and suc-cessful search efforts with its discov-ery 74 years after it sank on its first and last voyage. In the mid-1980s a joint French and American explora-tion effort searching for the Titanic wreck searched with an undersea so-nar and video camera devices towed along the bottom by cable some two miles deep.

The fact that the wreck of the Titanic was not found on the first attempts to locate it, but finally in 1986, after re-peated tries was found some two miles under the North Atlantic, highlights the importance of persistence, pa-tience, perseverance and making sure you have enough of the correct types of cable on hand as well. WRN

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Wire Rope Does its Part in Preserving Costa Rican and

Puerto Rican Rainforestsby Victor Mendez

For such a small Central American country, Costa Rica certainly has a lot going for it, naturally speaking. Visitors lucky enough to travel there can experience volcanoes, rainforest, beaches, national parks, cloud forests, hot springs, and much more with just a minimum investment of their time. Also, perhaps no place on earth has such an extensive network of wire rope lines on which tourists can discover the rainforest canopy surrounding them. To the east, the island of Puerto Rico has also begun to take advantage of the demand for zipping through the rainforests, and with one firm, up into the island’s hills and mountains.

Costa Rica is considered to possess the highest density of biodiversity of any country on earth. World-

wide. While encompassing just one third of a percent of Earth’s landmass, approx-imately the size of West Virginia, Costa Rica contains four percent of species es-timated to exist on the planet. Hundreds of these species are endemic to Costa Rica, meaning they exist nowhere else on earth. These endemic species include frogs, snakes, lizards, finches, humming-birds, gophers, mice, cichlids, and gobies among many more.

Costa Rica’s biodiversity can be at-tributed to the variety of ecosystems within the country. Tropical rainfor-ests, deciduous forests, Atlantic and Pacific coastline, cloud forests, and Mangrove forests are all represented throughout the 19,730 square miles of Costa Rica’s landmass. The ecological regions are twelve climatic zones. This variation provides numerous niches which are filled by a diversity of spe-cies. For such a tiny country it is mind-boggling that in addition to the vast number of animal and plant species that there are also some 41 different micro climates in this place as well.

Costa Rica, with its demonstration of biodiversity conservation is no doubt an excellent role model for developing countries. Nearly 30% of the country’s land has protected status as national park land, wildlife refuges, or forest preserves. The Costa Rican govern-ment has made the decision to protect its biodiversity for the ecological bene-fits they provide. The government even has a five percent tax on gasoline to

All photos courtesy of Ecoquest, Inc.


continued from page 24


generate revenue to pay landowners to refrain from clear-cutting on their land and instead to create tree plantations.

This provides Costa Ricans, or “Ticos” as they call themselves, to en-courage their fellow countrymen and women to become active tree farmers instead of cattle ranchers. Tree farms provide some habitat for wildlife, en-abling some measure of biodiversity to remain in these areas despite humans’ use of these natural resources.

Costa Rica’s biodiversity contributes to the numerous ecological services the environment provides. Every aspect of the ecosystem from the different spe-cies of plants to the diversity of animal species contributes to natural services like water purification, provision of food, fuel, fiber, and biochemicals, nu-trient cycling, pollination and seed dis-persal, and climate regulation, just to name a few. As the diversity of species increases, more of these services can be provided and to a greater extent.

Biodiversity has contributed to the economy of Costa Rica. Ecotourism brings in 1.92 billion dollars in revenue for the country. Ecotourism directs traveller toward exotic, often threat-ened, natural environments, especially to support conservation efforts and ob-serve wildlife.” Costa Rica’s abundant biodiversity makes the country an at-tractive destination for ecotourism. Thirty-nine percent of travelers to this Central American country now credit nature as their primary explanation for visiting the country. The profitable industry of eco tourism entices busi-nesses to capitalize on natural resourc-es by protecting and preserving them rather than consuming them.

As with so many other nations and places worldwide, threats to the bio-diversity of Costa Rica include a rap-idly growing population, developing

coastlines for the industry of tourism and harmful agricultural practices all contributing to pollution and environ-mental degradation. The practice caus-ing the largest concern for Costa Rica’s environment is deforestation. Costa Rica has the fourth highest rate of de-forestation in the world. Almost four percent of its current forested lands are cut each year.

Clearing land for cattle ranching is the most common cause of deforesta-tion. This form of environmental dam-age along with the farming of monocul-tures leads to areas where only a few species of plants are present. Ultimate-ly, decreases in plant diversity leads to decreased animal diversity.

There are about 1,251 species of but-terflies and at least 8,000 species of moths. Butterflies and moths are com-mon year round but are more present during the rainy season. Ten percent of known butterfly species worldwide re-side in Costa Rica.

Costa Rican butterflies and moths have made amazing adaptations to the environment. Some examples of these are the swallowtail caterpillars imitat-ing bird droppings while other have bright coloration to warn assailants

of bodily toxins. Ecotourism remains one of Costa Rica’s primary economic resources, and the country’s butterflies enhance that activity, though zipliners may not be able to notice something as delicate as a Zebra Longwing, Banded Peacock or Glasswing until they reach one of the interconnected canopy tour platforms. Such insects bring life to Costa Rican and Puerto Rican rainfor-ests, not only with the diversity in color but with the splendor of the blossoms they help pollinate.

Amphibians may be the creatures that get the most press and attention here.

Costa Rica is home to some 175 am-phibians - 85% of those species are frogs. Frogs in Costa Rica have inter-esting ways of finding fishless water to raise their young in, as fish will eat tadpoles and frog eggs. Poison Dart Frogs lay their eggs in water pools in certain types of plants called bromeli-ads. Other ways of surviving include searching ponds before laying eggs, and laying eggs in wet soil.

Notable frog species in Costa Rica include Red-eyed Tree Frogs, species of Poison Dart frogs, semitransparent glassfrogs and Smoky Jungle frogs.

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Notable toads in Costa Rica are the ten species of Bufo toads and the Gi-ant toad, a huge toad known for its wide appetite. It has been known to eat nearly anything, including vegetables, ants, spiders, any toad smaller than it-self, mice, and other small mammals.

Besides the frog species, approximate-ly 40 species of lungless salamander as well as two species of caecilian – found in the country, both rarely seen and little known. Costa Rican amphibians range in size from the Rainforest Rocket Frogs, 0.5in, to the Giant toad, at up to six inches in length and four pounds.

Representatives of all three orders of amphibians - caecilians, salamanders, and frogs and toads - reside in Costa Rica. Due to environmental degrada-tion and the sensitive nature of am-phibians to pollution, Costa Rica has seen declines and even extinctions in amphibian populations. Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is a critical habitat for certain species of the order Anura. However, forty percent of the members of this order that reside in this reserve are estimated to have gone extinct since 1987. This equals twenty species of frogs and toads.

Zip riders probably spot wildlife a bit

larger though, including the wide va-riety of monkeys, wild cats and birds. Venonous snakes are not a problem if given wide berth nor are the tiny blood-drinking vampire bats found in the country.

One way to see the rainforests and it astounding variety of wildlife, within its borders doesn’t even involve tread-ing on the ground beneath the trees. A profusion of wire rope cables dangle above for zip-liners and sightseers cre-ating a wide variety of options avail-able to choose from.

The more rustic or primitive of the lines involved leap-frogging from plat-form to platform across the forest tree-tops. A tram takes the riders to the beginning platforms. Pelvis harnesses, gloves and helmets are standard equip-ment. Guides assist travelers up onto platforms as they zip from station to station. Gravity does the bulk of the work of moving each Eco-tourist – or thrill-seeker.

Luis Flores, at the University of Cos-ta Rica’s School of Tourism both stud-ied his country’s zip-line tour setup and experienced zip-line touring firsthand. “My experience with the lines high-lighted how difficult the sport of zip-lining can be,” explains Flores. “It does

take some upper body strength to hang on to and ride the lines on some of the tours. There are no brakes on the tours because when the zip-line finishes you stop naturally.”

The tour that Flores took, as is the case with many day tours, took some four hours to complete. Zip-line compa-nies typically transport you from the nearest town to where ziplines are lo-cated, taking you from the hotel located there. A release form must be signed to relieve the touring company of any responsibility for accidents. “Tours are not 100% safe; no helmet is required by riders, though the guides typically do where helmets and gloves. Some walking is involved during which time guides explain about the flowers and other vegetation as well as wildlife in the rainforest.”

A tour can take up to 50 individual wire rope zip lines. Some of the lines go very short distances, while others are quite long, according to Flores. If a certain stretch seems too treacherous, zipline travelers can walk that partic-ular section. Rider speeds can run up to some 40 mph and one stretch goes over a huge, deep hole; at other points zipliners may catch a glimpse of the

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lovely Costa Rican coast. Flores took his zipline tour to fulfill

part of the requirements for his ma-jor. “It’s safe,” adds Flores about the zipline rides tourists take. “Guides always check the lines, going first across a zipline stretch themselves and then calling back to the guide re-maining behind with the riders that everything is fine.

“To get down at the last tree, riders typically need a push to drop to the last ten feet to the ground; this is while still

hooked up to the line. After the tour is done there is a very nice lunch, some-thing like a picnic. They want you to have a great experience.”

The particular canopy tour Flores took is run by a husband and wife team which also runs a hotel. The husband runs the zipline tours and the wife runs the hotel. Though it may seem that the entire course would naturally be grav-ity-powered, all downhill. The reality is that in most situations riders may have to walk to a higher stretch and ride down before doing a similar action

at the next treetop station or perhaps dipping ever lower.

Winter is the busy season in Costa Rica with many Americans escaping the cold weather to do zipline tours in the tropi-cal climate further south. The weather is fair that time of year. In the summer, Central America’s wet season, there are fewer tours due to the heavy rains.

The La Fortuna/Arenal (nearby El Castillo – an approximate 25 minute drive from downtown La Fortuna) tour option, for example, is the only canopy tour to automatically include the sky tram aerial tram ride with the sky trek canopy tour. This tour option also provides the option of being combined with Sky Adventures’ sky walk hang-ing bridges tour. This canopy tour has 10 cables with length spans of 200 me-ters to 750 meters. Also included as a special feature is a complimentary sky tram aerial tram ride. Riders must be at least eight years old. This particular tour has an automatic braking system.

Costa Rica’s natural life comprises all naturally occurring animals, fungi and plants residing in this Central American country. The land supports an enormous variety of wildlife, due in large part to its straddling of land be-tween the North and South American continents, neotropical climate, and broad assortment of habitats. Costa Rica is home to more than 500,000 spe-cies representing close to four percent of the total species estimated world-wide; the country is one of 20 with the highest biodiversity on earth – even if out of these 500,000 species, slightly more than 300,000 are insects.


continued from page 30Puerto Rico’s zipline tours typically

contain two wire ropes on their sections as opposed to what is found in much of Costa Rica with their one line runs. Petzl is the brand that they use for much of their equipment at Ecoquest, including their pulleys.

“In the United States and in Puerto Rico we use two lines,” explains Lu-igi Diaz, manager of Ecoquest, which is headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico. “In Costa Rica they tend to use one line. What makes us different, I feel has more to do with the service and ex-perience that tourists receive. It comes down to how you treat the people and how trained your guides are. In Costa Rica the maintenance may not be very good, the platforms are rotten in places and on certain lines, because of the poor quality of the lines, riders must jump before reaching the end of the line.

“The pulley is designed to go straight and not go up and down on these runs in Costa Rica. But the most important point is how you’ve trained your people and then how people feel when they’re coming off your tour. Even if you just have three lines on a particular tour but have the best people in the world guiding it, your zipline tour will be a better more memorable tour than one with many more lines in it.”

EcoQuest sales volumes are great for the most part because of the guides that they use, according to Diaz. It all comes down to training and how well the guides are compensated. “To pay a guide an hourly wage is not a good idea; these are people’s lives that are on the line,” adds Diaz.

“Ecoquest’s ziplining operation in Campo Rico contains seven ziplines that go from 800 feet all the way to 1,000 feet. Our longer lines are thicker lines than the shorter ones, as the lon-ger ones cover more distance. We have a tour that is a canopy tour in one of our rainforests and then we have another in a subtropical forest that travel from mountain to mountain – riders reach the mountaintops and then go back down into the jungle. The experience does include some hiking in between the ziplining as well. There are swing-ing bridges and at the end of the tour we serve our guests a Puerto Rican lunch.”

Diaz considers their operation in the San Salvadoran rainforest as one way to escape the crowds of the mainland and get wet in a hidden treasure just 40 minutes away from the metro area.

“We enable visitors to explore, trek and climb through cascading clear wa-terfalls and abundantly colored flora

and rocks found in the San Salvador Rainforest, located in the beautiful mountains of Caguas,” adds Diaz. “This place is immaculately clean, quiet and secluded. Knowledgeable and friendly tour guides enlighten travelers on the ecology, history and culture of this dra-matic region that was once populated by Taino indians.

“This full-day experience includes five exhilarating ziplines installed with double cable for extra security, measur-ing an average of 400 ft. long that cross stunning canyons, pristine rivers and through the trees. Also included on this tour is some amazing rappelling off an 80 ft. long waterfall, river-hiking over rocks and stair-casing up the river. This wire rope adventure also includes a delicious homemade Puerto Rican meal in a typical countryside setting.”

Their rainforest tours are in the Carite Rainforest System in the town of Caguas just 40 minutes away from the San Juan metro area. “We call it the San Salvador Rainforest for several reasons,” explains EcoQuest president, Ivan Purcell. “The neighborhood where we park our vans and where the local family cooks for us is called San Salva-dor. Also we don’t want to impact the rainforest so we changed the name to keep people from finding out were we go and wandering in our trails. Final-ly, we found the name more appealing than Carite Rainforest.”

Overall, what sets them apart from the many other ziplines are their bilin-gual and friendly tour guides, certified in First Aid Training and Risk Manage-ment. Guides also receive year-around Rescue Training courses. “To my knowl-edge no other company offers one-of-a-kind zipline packages including cave-rappelling, canopy bridges, hiking or amphibious vehicles,” says Diaz. “We’re perhaps the only zipline in the Carib-bean that lands directly in a private bar – plus kids receive a special treatment. Some of our tours include a free ‘Been There Done That’ Certificate too.”

EcoQuest uses galvanized aircraft steel cable, for their shorter ziplines; for 600 feet and under they use 3/8 x19 thickness cable and for ziplines over 700 feet the company uses 1/2 x 19 inch thick cables. “We use a double cable and pulley system and all of our ziplines have a manual break system operated by our certified guides,” adds Purcell. “Also before every tour we have a 15 minute safety, equipment chat and a ‘how-to zipline demonstra-tion. This way all of our clients feel comfortable and know what to expect during the tour.” WRN



Wire Rope a Later Step inEvolution of Marine Lifesaving

and Salvage EffortsMassachusetts may have been the first place to organize rescue efforts along coastlines with their Massachusetts Humane Society founding. That effort began to organize at least the availability of equipment for lifesaving.

by Peter Hildebrandt

In the early years of whaling, can-nons shot out hemp rope to har-poon hapless whales to supply

the demands of a growing population needing ever more whale oil for lamps and soap making. Linen rope was also used; this may have been lighter in the water, more water repellent. To-day lifesaving and salvage efforts use stronger more durable materials such

All photos and artwork courtesy of Shipwreck and Lifesaving Museum, Egan Maritime Institute, Nantucket, MA.

as steel wire rope. In rescue efforts, lines would be

shot out to a struggling ship some 500 yards. “The challenge was keeping the lines from getting tangled,” explains Dick Mack with the Shipwreck and Lifesaving Museum, Egan Institute on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. “Woven ropes in the early years could be very strong, even used to tow other ships. The hemp and linen ropes were referred to as ‘cable’ in the 19th centu-ry but by today’s standards and defini-

tions it would be called rope. Much of the rope used was constructed from lin-en. But even rope consistently used to anchor ships was made of hemp. Some of the larger ships even had cast iron chains for various functions.”

Nantucket, 30 miles off the coast of the Massachusetts mainland is home to over 700 shipwrecks on the many shoals surrounding the island. The is-land was dry land some 12,000 years ago, so melting of the huge continental

Artists rendering of the RMS Olympic, Titanic’s sister-ship, colliding with Nantucket Lightship.

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ice sheet caused the sea level to rise 300 feet at the end of the Ice Age. As a result of all the shoals, shipwrecks occurred not far off the shore of what is basically one of the few true ocean islands off the coast of North America.

“Something called a faking box was used to keep the hemp or linen rope from tangling,” adds Mack. “The term faking means to coil line. When the struggling ship was reached, the top of box would be lifted off and the rope would be ready and tangle free just before being shot out to the ship. Five hundred yards of rope wouldn’t be un-usual a distance to shoot a line out to a struggling ship.

When a ship was needing a rescue, two lines would be run out to the vessel; the top one was a continuous line to ship supplies from the doomed ship. A ship mast was set up on the beach to simu-late a mast actually on a ship as time is of the essence during rescue operations. Practice drills using this beach ship mast took place once a week. A number of different methods were tried until the one which could reach out at least 500 yards was developed.”

Though Mack was working in elec-tronics for the Coast Guard at Woods Hole when the ill-fated Andrea Doria sank off Nantucket, not long after that sinking he served for 45 days on the Nantucket Light Ship, something of a floating lighthouse at sea. When the Stockholm struck the Andre Doria on the night of July 25, 1956, the latter took 11 hours to sink. “There wasn’t a big enough tugboat on the scene to tow

the ship to a safe harbor,” says Mack. “Now the wreck is disintegrating fast; there is not much of a structure to bring up.

“When the ship sank it capsized due to its instability. The ship’s fuel tanks were empty and they were supposed to be filled with ballast. That wasn’t done. The design of the ship itself was un-stable. It relied on full fuel tanks down below and by the time the ship had almost reached New York Harbor the fuel tanks were empty but hadn’t been filled. The ship had rolled 28 degrees at another time when its fuel tanks were not full so the vessel was something of a disaster waiting to happen.”

The two ships spotted each other on their radar, 17 miles apart. The Ital-ian cruise liner was in fog and the

Stockholm was not; they were coming together at a combined speed of some 40 knots. If they’d stayed on the same track they would have safely passed each other within eight tenths of a mile of each other. “The correct method in a ship passage is to pass port to port,” says Mack. “Doria’s captain for some reason chose to do starboard to star-board. Stockholm’s captain did the op-posite and they hit.

“Sixteen divers have gone down to get souvenirs and a number of them died. In 1981 the ship’s safe was brought up full of Italian and American currency; each bill is worth more as souvenir. The ship rests in 250 feet of water where it is dark, cold and has a swift-flowing current.”

There are some times when no mat-ter how much cable, wire rope, hemp or linen rope or chains are available, the rescue or salvage simply is not possible. Another sinking pre-dating the Andrea Doria by some 25 years was that of the Nantucket Light Ship, LV-117, a steel-hulled vessel with steel deckhouse fore and aft, funnel amidships for engine exhaust, and a pair of masts. An elec-tric lantern topped each mast, and an electric foghorn was on the mainmast.

Ironically, a vessel designed and bravely manned with individuals at-tempting to save lives at sea and pre-vent the need for rescues, itself fell victim to terrible disaster. The ship was stationed south of the Nantucket Shoals in a location 42 miles south by east from Sankaty Head Lighthouse on Nantucket Island.

The light ship was considered state of the art at that time, much prefer-able to the sailing vessels which had stood watch some 70 years prior to its Here is the SS. Stephano during WWI. The ship was torpedoed by a U Boat two miles off the

coast of Nantucket and everyone was saved.

Equipment for lifesaving set up on the beach.

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continued from page 36launching. The Nantucket Light ship was moored in 30 fathoms, about 180 feet with two inch diameter steel chain cables which in turn were attached to two 7,000 pounds anchors.

On February 8, 1931, LV-117 took aboard the eight-man crew of the fish-ing schooner Aloma, which had sank just 5 miles from the lightship. The men were taken ashore by the Coast Guard on February 9.

During a storm on June 27, 1933, the lightship broke her mooring chain and drifted away from her position. She was unable to regain it for several days. Not until the gales subsided on June 30, was her crew able to return LV-117 to her station.

On January 6, 1934, four months be-fore LV-117 was sunk by the Olympic, the lightship had a less serious glanc-ing collision by the SS Washington, at the time the largest ocean liner yet built in the United States. The radio antenna yard were carried away and minor damage occurred to some hull plates. In April, 1934, radio operator John Parry told friends, “Some day we are just going to get it head on, and that will be the finish. One of those big liners will just ride through us.”

During the night of May 14, 1934 Olympic, Titanic’s sister-ship honed in on the lightship’s radio beacons. Some 75 times larger than the 630-ton light-ship, the White Star liner was steam-ing at about 20 knots in the center of the western terminus of the shipping lanes of trans-Atlantic travel. By 5:00 am on the morning of May 15, Olympic was in thick fog which made the vessel reduce its speed to 16 knots.

The lightship’s radio signal and fog signals were picked up by Olympic at about 10:55 am and appeared to be off the ship’s starboard bow. Captain John Binks ordered Olympic’s course to be changed 10 degrees to port and reduced speed to ten knots.

The ship’s radio operator attempted in vain to make contact with LV-117 to determine her actual position, but the fog signals could still be heard, appar-ently at a longer distance off the star-board bow. It appeared that Olympic was well clear of the lightship. Then the lookout spotted LV-117 dead ahead.

Binks ordered the ship’s rudder to be set full to port, the engines to be set full speed astern, and the watertight doors to be closed throughout the ves-sel. Olympic slowed to only about three knots – too late. The collision happened

at 11:06 am. Speed wasn’t what proved as deadly as sheer weight (52,000 tons when fully fueled); Olympic’s kinetic energy obliterated the smaller vessel.

Olympic’s passengers barely noticed the collision, which First Class passen-ger Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland felt only as a “slight jar”. The changed settings of the engines were much more detect-

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able, sending vibrations throughout the ship as they were put into reverse and brought up to maximum revolu-tions. Passengers came onto the deck to find out what was going on and were met by the smell of oil and the sight of debris in the sea around Olympic.

“We saw the Olympic loom out of the fog a short distance away,” explained C.E. Mosher, LV-117’s first mate, in a newspaper interview two months af-ter the accident. “The visibility was only 500 feet. A crash was inevitable. I sounded the collision alarm. We all donned life preservers. Then we waited.

“When the collision came, it was more like a hard push and a terrific shaking, a crunching and grinding. It was not a loud smash as one might expect. The Olympic kept coming through ...”John Perry told the press, “At the time of the smash I was in the radio cabin. I barely had time to get on deck and swim for my life.” Robert Laurent commented that as “it all happened so quickly, you had no chance to panic. We all had our life preservers and it was a good thing that we did.”

Olympic responded extremely rap-idly to the accident. The portside emergency lifeboat had already been

swung outboard and was lowered just before Olympic came to a halt. The starboard emergency boat was launched a few minutes later, along with one of Olympic’s motor boats. The scene was described by a contem-porary newspaper account:

“Nosing through the dense pall of the

fog, the boats searched the area for al-most two hours, while those on board the liner prayed for their success. A hatch drifted past, bearing the figure of an unconscious man. Shouts from the liner directed one of the lifeboats to the rescue. The same boat picked up a swimmer not far away, and the floating body of a man who appeared to be dead went past.

The lifeboats disappeared from sight in the murk and the watchers from the liner waited breathlessly. A red buoy bearing the name ‘Nantucket’ floated by, informing most of the passengers for the first time what they had struck.

After three-quarters-of-an-hour the starboard lifeboat came into view. As those who eagerly lined the rails saw that it contained only one figure aside from those at the oars, and that [figure was] motionless, they groaned. But a minute later the port boat appeared with five or six men in the blue ‘mon-key suits’ of the Lighthouse Service. Two of those also appeared to be life-less. One man in civilian clothes, Cap-tain Braithwaite, sat stiff and upright ... a cut on his head bled profusely ...”

The three boats managed to rescue seven of the lightship’s eleven crewmen and brought them aboard, but three of the seven died in Olympic’s hospital. Captain Braithwaite, First Mate C.E. Mosher, Radio Operator John Perry and Oiler Laurent Robert all survived the disaster. Engineer William Perry, Oiler Justin Richmond, Cook Alfred Montero, First Cook I. Pinna, Seaman E.B. George, Seaman John Fortes and Seaman John Rodriques did not sur-

Shipwreck off Nantucket.

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vive the sinking. The lightship had sunk so rapidly that anyone beneath the decks had only a small possibility of surviving.

Binks ordered Olympic to resume course for New York at 12:29 pm once it had become clear that there were no more survivors. The liner had suffered only minimal damage in the collision, comprising some dented hull plates which were repaired in a dry dock in Southampton in May–June 1934. She was allowed to leave New York at the

scheduled time on May 17 after a brief inspection. The dependents of those killed in the accident were given resti-tution through the United States Em-ployees’s Compensation Act.

LV-117 was replaced by the LV-112. The Cunard–White Star Line paid for the construction of LV-112 as repara-tion for the accident.

The lightship now rests about 200 ft (61 m) deep, lying on her port side in an area with unpredictable currents up to 3 kn (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph). The wreck of the vessel is remarkably intact; LV-

117’s aft mast lies alongside the hull of the ship, while the forward mast has been broken off, lying perpendicular to the wreck.

It was discovered in the 1970s by Captain Paul Forsberg of the Viking Fleet fishing concern, though it was not clear at the time that the wreck was that of LV-117. Its identification was not confirmed until as late as July 1998 when an expedition led by diver Eric Takakjian made the first of what would be many visits to the wreck site.

It is reported to be a difficult and dangerous dive, as the wreck is entan-gled in many fishing nets. Nonetheless Takakjian describes it as “fascinating” and “a really exciting and rewarding ex-perience” to visit. He was surprised to find how well-preserved it was, as it had been rumored at the time that the light-ship had been cut in half by Olympic.

Now, in the next century, despite the latest electronic, computerized, satel-lite or cell phone technology as well as countless apps for those phones, ship-wrecks, capsizings and rescues as well as salvages still occur, no matter how challenging they’ve become over the decades. They are more complicated and involve much larger equipment, but simple human error and lack of common sense may at times be as big a factor in their occurring.

Resolve Marine Group’s Joe Far-rell, founder and CEO feels that it’s an anomaly captains are not re-quired to receive ongoing training considering how many cruise ships are out on the seas today. Resolve Marine Group is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Airline personnel has regular updates of training. “But for ship captains, no,” explains Farrell. “Some cruise compa-nies are proactive and take advantage of the ship control simulator we’ve con-structed in order to help train captains and keep cruise liners safer.”

The container ship MV Rena first ran aground and then sank off the coast of northern New Zealand. Though the media focused mainly on the oil spill off the coast of Tauranga in New Zealand, and the environmental damage associ-ated with the wreck, the salvage op-erations of the vessel proved extreme-ly challenging too. Resolve Marine Group handled the complicated work of bringing the remains of the ship to the surface. The ensuing spill when the grounding first happened gained the title of New Zealand’s worst maritime environmental disaster to date.

On October 5, 2011, Rena grounded

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continued from page 44on the Astrolabe Reef. The ship car-ried 1,368 containers, eight of which contained hazardous materials, as well as 1,700 tons of heavy fuel oil and 200 tons of marine diesel oil. At the start the ship listed 11 degrees to port, with the front stuck on the reef. But by Oc-tober 9th an oil slick over three miles long endangered wildlife and the area’s rich fishing waters.

Oil from Rena began washing ashore at Mount Maunganui Beach on Octo-ber 10, 2011. Strong winds and bad weather on the night of October 11, 2011 caused the ship to list over to starboard 19 degrees; this resulted in between 30 and 70 containers being washed overboard. None of the con-tainers contained hazardous cargo. Containers subsequently began wash-ing ashore on Motiti Island.

On October 12, 2011, aerial footage showed a large crack in the hull of Rena, increasing fears that the ship could break in two and sink. It also showed a container floating in the wa-ter surrounded by smoke, suggesting that a chemical reaction was occurring.

After October, salvage efforts were focused on removing the ship’s cargo before it completely broke apart and

on January 2012, the Rena totally broke in half and the stern slipped off of the reef and began sinking. A small amount of oil and containers escaped the ship as it broke in half. After the Costa Concordia wreck, the salvage of of the Rena, at $350 million has been the world’s most costly to date.

A salvage company named Svitzer was hired to assess the safety of com-ing salvage teams on the ship, and to continue to carry out salvage proce-dures. Matthew Watson, a spokesman for Svitzer, described the key tasks car-ried out by the salvage teams to be re-moval of oil off of the ship (specifically through a transferring process) and the collection of released containers and other waste. Salvage teams were helicoptered onto the ship, as that was advised as the safest way.

Containers and the ship itself were cut up – and for the first time in his-tory – removed by helicopters using wire rope. Cutting the wreckage up took place at depths of up to 50 meters or 164 feet.

The 700 ton, 25 meter high accommo-dation block removal remained a chal-lenge. Just two huge hooks each lifted 350 tons out of the water. But then as the house was lifted up out of the wa-

ters, the port side wire rope cables be-came dangerously twisted. The house was then lowered back into the water and the untwisting was done.

After six months of extended diving operations, Resolve’s team success-fully cut and lifted the upper decks of Rena’s accommodation block. But once removed and up above the water’s sur-face, the chains cut through the soft section of metal, metal which had soft-ened while under water. Since this also positioned the ship’s house too low to be placed on the barge, Resolve’s crew then actually returned the 350 ton house back on the seabed.

Then, finally, after inclement weath-er had passed another attempt was made. Resolve Marine Group’s huge marine crane lifted the house up out of the water in June, 2014. A combination of huge chains and thick wire rope as well as the resolve of workers unwilling to give up, at last got the Rena’s house up on the deck of the barge. Though the materials may have changed – wire rope, huge chains and synthetic rope instead of hemp and linen ropes – the satisfaction of saving a sunken vessel or the crew of a doomed ship still brings wide smiles to workers involved in such rigorous attempts to this day. WRN



steel production, shipments, imports and exports all decreased in 2013 vs. 2012, as U.S. steel markets remained below pre-recession levels. U.S. steel shipments were at 95 million net tons, a one percent decrease from the pre-vious year and an 11 percent increase from the most recent five-year aver-age of 86 million net tons. U. S. Raw Steel Production was 96 million net tons in 2013, a two percent decrease over 2012. Construction and automo-tive continue to be the largest markets for steel.

The most comprehensive reference of its kind for the American steel indus-try, the AISI report provides statistical data for the U.S. steel industry and a variety of selected statistical data on the Canadian, Mexican and world steel industries. It features extensive charts and graphs, including: selected statisti-cal highlights on shipments, apparent supply, imports, employment and raw steel data over a 10-year period; select-ed financial highlights on income and cash flow data; shipments by products and markets over a 10-year period; raw

Preliminary steel imports decrease 11% in June Import market share 27% in June

Based on preliminary Census Bu-reau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the U.S. imported a total of 3,586,000 net tons (NT) of steel in June, includ-ing 2,706,000 net tons (NT) of finished steel (down 11.1% and 8.0%, respec-tively, vs. May final data). Year-to-date (YTD) total and finished steel imports are 21,082,000 and 15,552,000 net tons (NT), respectively, up 34% and 26% respectively, vs. 2013. Annualized to-tal and finished steel imports in 2014 would be 42.2 and 31.1 million NT, up 31% and 25% respectively vs. 2013. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 27% in June and is estimated at 27% YTD.

Key finished steel products with a significant import increase in June compared to May are cold rolled sheets (up 26%), cut lengths plates (up 26%) and tin plate (up 14%). Major prod-ucts with significant YTD import in-creases vs. the same period last year include wire rods (up 100%), plates in coils (up 69%), cold rolled sheets (up 67%), sheets and strip galvanized hot dipped (up 51%), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 48%), hot rolled sheets (42%), cut lengths plates (up 37%), mechanical tubing (34%), oil country goods (up 28%), heavy struc-tural shapes (up 25%), reinforcing bars (up 15%) and tin plate (up 15%).

In June, the largest volumes of fin-ished steel imports from offshore were all from Asia and Europe. They were from South Korea (457,000 NT, down 22% vs. May final), China (230,000 NT, down 25%), Turkey (189,000 NT, up 25%), Japan (138,000 NT, down 5%) and Germany (102,000 NT, down 3%). For six months of 2014, the larg-est offshore suppliers were South Korea (2,609,000 NT, up 49%), Chi-na (1,518,000 NT, up 69%), Japan (990,000 NT, up 3%), Turkey (951,000 NT, up 29%) and Russia (596,000 NT, up 344%). Below are charts on estimat-ed steel import market share in recent months and on finished steel imports from offshore by country.

AISI releases 2013 Annual Statistical Report

The American Iron and Steel In-stitute (AISI) announced the release of its 2013 Annual Statistical Report (ASR). The 2013 ASR shows that U.S.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Census.

steel production (state distribution and capability utilization); and imports and exports data. The report also includes an executive summary that highlights recent and historical trends in the North American steel industry.

Thomas J. Gibson, president and CEO of AISI, said “The Annual Statisti-cal Report is an essential tool for indus-try, media, analysts and anyone else interested in robust and wide-ranging data on the steel industry. With over 16 pages of charts and graphs in the executive summary alone, it serves as an essential reference for anyone fol-lowing steel data and trends.”

To purchase the 2013 Annual Statis-tical Report visit the Platts Steel Data and Analysis website: www.platts.com/products/steel-data-analysis or call 412-431-4370.

May steel shipments up 2 percent from April, up 4.4 percent from prior year

The American Iron and Steel In-stitute (AISI) reported that for the

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continued from previous pagemonth of May 2014, U.S. steel mills shipped 8,398,976 net tons, a 2.0 per-cent increase from the 8,235,096 net tons shipped in the previous month, April 2014, and a 4.4 percent increase from the 8,047,245 net tons shipped in May 2013. Shipments year-to-date in 2014 are 40,485,323 net tons, a 2.2 percent increase vs. 2013 shipments of 39,595,155 net tons for five months.

A comparison of May shipments to the previous month of April shows the following changes: cold rolled sheet, up 2.0 percent, hot dipped galvanized sheets and strip, down 1.0 percent and hot rolled sheet, down 3.0 percent.

AISI releases June SIMA imports data, import market share 28 percent in June

Based on the Commerce Depart-ment’s most recent Steel Import Moni-toring and Analysis (SIMA) data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that steel import per-mit applications for the month of June total 3,436,000 net tons (NT)*. This was a 16% decrease from the 4,106,000 permit tons recorded in May and a 14% decrease from the May prelimi-nary imports total of 4,016,000 NT.

Import permit tonnage for finished steel in June was 2,764,000, down 6% from the preliminary imports total of 2,925,000 in May. For the first six months of 2014 (including June SIMA and May preliminary), total and fin-ished steel imports were 20,915,000 NT and 15,593,000 NT, respectively, up 33% and 26% from the same period in 2013. The estimated finished steel import market share in June was 28% and is 27% year-to-date (YTD).

Finished steel imports with large increases in June permits vs. the May preliminary included cut lengths plates (up 26%), cold rolled sheets (up 20%), tin plate (up 12%) and hot rolled sheets (up 11%). Products with significant year-to-date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2013 include wire rods (up 103%), plates in coils (up 67%), cold rolled sheets (up 66%), sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized (up 50%), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 49%), hot rolled sheets (up 43%), cut lengths plates (up 37%), mechani-cal tubing (up 35%), oil country goods (up 30%), heavy structural shapes (up 25%), structural pipe and tubing (up 21%) and reinforcing bar (up 16%).

In June, the largest finished steel import permit applications for off-

shore countries were for South Korea (498,000 NT, down 15% from May preliminary), Turkey (246,000 NT, up 66%), China (234,000 NT, down 23%), Japan (151,000 NT, up 4%), and Rus-sia (103,000 NT, down 0.3%). Through the first six months of 2014, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (2,650,000 NT, up 51% from the same period in 2013), China (1,520,000 NT, up 69%), and Turkey (1,007,000 NT, up 36%).

* Monthly permit numbers provided to date may be un-derstated, as entry documentation with the required im-port license number may be submitted up to ten days after imports have entered U.S. commerce.

Steel Institute and others urge Kerry to move on Keystone

The American Iron and Steel Insti-tute (AISI) and more than 40 other as-sociations are urging the State Depart-ment to move ahead toward completion of the Keystone XL pipeline. In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, in whose jurisdiction the pipeline evalua-tion process lies, the groups state that the Department earlier this year found that over 42,000 jobs would be created and $3.4 billion in additional revenue to GDP would result in the building of the pipeline. The letter also stated that “more than 70 percent of Americans support the building of the project, yet we continue to wait.”

Thomas J. Gibson, president and CEO of AISI, said, “Steel products play a valuable role in the Keystone XL pipeline. Steel pipe and tube prod-ucts form the essential infrastructure for producing oil and gas natural re-sources, transmitting them to proces-sors, then eventually getting them to final customers. Pipelines have long been recognized as one of the safest, most reliable and well-regulated ways to move crude oil and petroleum prod-ucts. The Keystone XL pipeline will be built to the most advanced specifica-tions and will be monitored and main-tained by state-of-the-art technologies. It is time to move ahead and put the steel to work.”

The joint letter concluded that, “The Keystone XL Pipeline has been stud-ied longer than any pipeline project in U.S. history. Since the initial permit application was filed in 2008, more than 10,000 miles of oil and natu-ral gas pipeline have been built in the U.S.; this is enough pipe to cross our country nearly four times. How-ever, after nearly six years of studies showing no significant impacts – yet positive benefits to our energy and economic security – politics are still trumping good policy.”

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Harrington Hoists, Inc. is pleased to announce Approved Training for ETCP Renewal Credits

Harrington’s most recent addition to their training courses is an ETCP (Entertainment Technician Certifi-cation Program) recognized training program on their TNER Theatrical Electric Chain Hoists. The program consists of an eight hour inspection and repair training course intended for ETCP certified riggers and electricians. This course covers inspection, repair, maintenance, and troubleshooting our TNER hoists.

The course includes how to read and interpret wiring diagrams and trou-bleshooting electrical problems in the hoist control and motor circuits. In-struction is provided on performing a proper inspection of hoist components per the ASME B30.16 and PLASA / ANSI E1.6-2-2013 standards, as well as maintenance and repair. The course includes hands on exercises to rein-force the program content.

Attendees will be tested on the ma-terial and those that successfully pass the written exams, and perform ac-ceptably in the lab experiences, will be given a certificate of achievement and

ETCP certified technicians will earn 8 renewal credits.

Harrington’s 2014 training dates are scheduled for August 5th, October 22nd and November 19th. Contact Har-rington Hoists, Inc. at 800-233-3010 for more details on our new approved training for ETCP renewal credits.

Harrington Hoists, Inc. is a Kito Group Company located in Manheim, PA and Corona, CA. and is a leading

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WIRE & CABLE INDIA 2014: Ideal platform to enter growing market

The next staging of WIRE & CABLE INDIA, 5th International Exhibition for the Wire and Cable Industry, will take place from October 28 - 30, 2014 at the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Center in Mumbai. WIRE & CABLE INDIA 2014 will be jointly organized by Messe Düsseldorf and its subsidiary Messe Düsseldorf India, with the sup-port of International Wire and Cable Exhibitors’ Association (IWCEA), the International Wire & Machinery As-sociation (IWMA), the Italian Wire Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (ACIMAF), the Wire and Cable Indus-try Suppliers’ Association (WCISA) and the Steel Wire Manufacturers As-sociation of India (SWMAI).

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continued from previous page by Messe Düsseldorf and its Indian subsidiary while Welding& Cutting In-dia is an event of Messe Essen.

For further information on visiting or exhibiting at WIRE & CABLE INDIA, Tube India or Metallurgy India 2014, contact Messe Düsseldorf North Amer-ica, 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601. Telephone: (312) 781-5180; Fax: (312) 781-5188; E-mail: [email protected]; Visit our web site www.mdna.com; Subscribe to our blog at http://blog.mdna.com; Follow us on twit-ter at twitter.com/WireTube_MDNA.

New website for CrosbyCrosby is pleased to announce the

release of their newly redesigned website. In an effort to serve custom-ers more efficiently, Crosby has added more functionality and improvements to the site. Search for product has been simplified through new product/indus-try selectors and global site search. For convenience, the many resources and tools designed to assist customers in their various planning activities can not only be found in the main naviga-tion of the site, but also with the prod-uct to which they specifically pertain. CAD data, one of these many resourc-es, has a simplified sign up process and

INDIA 2014 will present the latest advancements in wire manufacturing and finishing machinery, process tech-nology tools, auxiliary process technol-ogy materials, special wires, cables and materials as well as measuring and control technology. The visitor target groups are decision makers from the wire, cable and spring sector, from the iron, steel and non-ferrous industry as well as from the automotive, aerospace, electrical engineering, telecommunica-tion, computer, chemical and construc-tion industry.

WIRE & CABLE INDIA 2014 will be held at an opportune time. The main customers for the wire and cable industry are the automotive, telecommunication and construction industries. In the past few years, these sectors have experienced a rap-id expansion in India, with an annual growth of about 25%. For major infra-structure projects, the Indian govern-ment has begun to focus primarily on public private partnerships. With an investment need of about $450 billion, these infrastructure projects are the driving growth factor for the construction industry, especially in the transportation sector. Accord-

ing to the Automotive Mission Plan 2006-2016, the Indian government is geared up to double the automotive industry’s contribution to the coun-try’s GDP by 2016 and furthermore intends to create 25 million new jobs in the industry. The telecommuni-cations market in India is the third largest in the world and the fastest growing, particularly in the wireless and telephone sectors. Concerning the Internet sector, the government plans to provide the rural regions of India with broadband connections.

With 291 exhibitors from 25 coun-tries on 59,800 square feet of net ex-hibit space, the last staging of WIRE & CABLE INDIA in 2012 was the largest ever. The event featured country group exhibits from Austria, China, France, Germany, Italy and the U.S.

WIRE & CABLE INDIA 2014 will be held concurrently with three themati-cally related trade shows: Tube India 2014 (6th All-Indian Exhibition and Conference for the Tube and Pipe In-dustries), Metallurgy India 2014 (5th International Exhibition & Conference on Metallurgical Technology, Material Handling and Services) and Welding & Cutting India 2014. Tube India and Metallurgy India will also be organized



are set up to facilitate the quick release needs of their customers.

“Each area of use presents different challenges”, said owner/inventor, John McMillan.

“And it is quite amazing that a simple release device has been found so useful in so many release applica-tions. We use heat-treated, aerospace-grade stainless steel plate. The device combines unique features such as no springs, multi-directional, low friction releasing, and hitch-pin safety lock. The key is the combination of a simple, proven toggle linkage principle - and a lot of thinking about its many jobs. Sea Catch has come a long way from its early start 20 years ago and that is worth celebration.”

Releasing an object or line under load 3D drawings are now offered in addi-tion to 2D. A Career Center has also been established to reach out to poten-tial employees and interns.

In addition, the new website has a re-sponsive design to support most mobile device viewing and now combines all Crosby sites into one global site.

To explore these exciting additions and improvements to their website, visit them at www.thecrosbygroup.com. Questions or comments, call (800) 797-4611.

McMillan Design/Sea Catch - celebrating 20 years!

McMillan Design is celebrating 20 years of design, manufacturing and sales of the Sea Catch Toggle Release. Since 1994, Sea Catches have gained praise from engineers and users in 14 major industries around the world. The device is designed exclusively for the safe release of lines or objects un-der load and is the simplest and most innovative in-line, quick release hook design on the market today. Units sold in 1994 are still in service. Some units have exceeded 5,000 release cycles and are still in operation. Sea Catch is now available in over 68 different models with capacities ranging from .65 ton to 150 tons or larger. The standard unit is connected via common shackles at each end whereas the “LM” Series is formed with enlarged jaws to receive and re-lease fibre line or wire rope rather than a shackle. Retrieving hooks and off-load hooks have been added to the gen-eral product line in recent years.

McMillan Design is still a small, privately owned, multi-disciplinary design company located in Gig Har-bor, Washington. General production takes place in Auburn, Washington, a

short drive from Gig Harbor. Quality is of paramount importance in every part of production. Proof load testing can be performed locally and is avail-able on a case-by-case basis. Associates are available to assist with engineer-ing services for unique applications or modifications. Sea Catch is computer generated and can be easily modified to suit most user’s needs.

Sea Catch began as a primitive set net release in Cook Inlet, Alaska and then as a skiff release for purse seiners in Prince William Sound. From there it found multiple release applications in various areas including sea technology, offshore hydrocarbon production/trans-fer, general maritime operations, drop testing, defense/military, navy/coast guard, movie special effects, and even aerospace. Over 54 dealers worldwide


continued from previous pageneed not be a daunting task any longer!

For more information, go to their website at www.seacatch.com.

LGH’s Pittsburgh, PA warehouse relocates

Lifting Gear Hire’s (LGH) Pitts-burgh, PA warehouse has relocated to a new facility. The new warehouse, lo-cated at 11 Waller Way, Burgettstown, PA, will help LGH provide faster equip-ment rental turn-around times for cus-tomers in and around the Pittsburgh area. In addition, the new warehouse will also provide an expansive selection of rental equipment, larger scale rent-al equipment choices and more dock space for convenient equipment load-ing and unloading.

Founded in 1990, Lifting Gear Hire (LGH) is the United States’ largest single organization devoted exclusively to the provision of lifting and moving equipment for rent and sale, according to a company release. LGH provides hoisting, pulling, jacking, rigging, ma-terial handling and safety equipment available for immediate and safe use. LGH’s mission is to offer expertise in the rental of the safest and most reliable hoisting and rigging equipment to build and support a better America.LGH – Puts Safety First. www.lgh-usa.com.

NASA sling project by Bishop Lifting Products

Designed and fabricated by BLP Houston, this sling basket was cre-ated to secure and recover the NASA capsule pictured to the right. After be-ing deployed into one of the outer at-mospheres, it will return to earth and

land in the water. A team of NASA and Navy divers will recover the capsule to study it. This sling was specifically designed to not disrupt or impact any part of the capsule, in order to study it correctly.

Partnership and Performance are drivers of revolutionary Shoretension® mooring solution

Shoretension®, a revolutionary ves-sel mooring system, is helping the marine industry to address the global challenges of energy conservation, im-proving ships’ safety and the continu-ous need to reduce down-time of avail-able terminals. The ShoreTension® system uses ropes made with Dynee-ma® SK78 fiber from DSM to ensure permanent tension, even in extreme conditions.

ShoreTension® is a stand-alone hy-draulically controlled mooring system, designed to absorb the energy of the moving ship in a gust of wind and store this internally whilst paying out the mooring lines. When the peak loads are over, the system heaves in the lines with the energy stored, returning to its initial position.

The system does not require any ex-ternal energy, thus providing an effec-tive and sustainable mooring solution, according to a company release.

To demonstrate its reliability, the ShoreTension® system has undergone extensive tests after it was introduced to a number of end-users at various ports around the world, such as Rotter-

dam, Sines and Cotonou. These were all completed successfully.

The four-way partnership between ShoreTension BV, Hoenderop BV, Gleistein Ropes and DSM Dyneema BV provided a significant contribution to the success of the ShoreTension® ves-sel mooring system.

At the heart of the system are ‘Mega-Twin Dyneema® HS Dyneema® SSC’ lines produced by Geo Gleistein & Sohn GmbH. Their load bearing cores are made with Dyneema® SK78 fiber from DSM, setting a new standard in the design of light, strong and stiff mooring lines.

A new “snake skin cover” was de-veloped with Dyneema® by Gleistein Ropes to help protect the load bearing core during its use, thus mitigating the risk of premature line failure, while extending the ropes’ lifetime, saving on replacement cost and reducing envi-ronmental impact.

Gert van den Burg of ShoreTension B.V. explains: “Whereas with conven-tional mooring ropes, most of the ten-sion is transferred to the ship, in the new system the tension is transferred to the ShoreTension unit, located on-shore. Because of the exceptional de-mands of the system, mooring lines need to be durable, light and strong, with little or no stretch. Mooring lines made with Dyneema® can meet these demands given the properties of the fiber used and their proven value for mooring of VLCC’s, LNG carriers and cruise lines for many years.”

To address the unique needs of the system, Gleistein Ropes and DSM Dyneema B.V. provided a dedicated

At NASA Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.

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lighted to be able to apply our Bright Sci-ence for projects such as these.”

Mooring ropes made with Dyneema® fiber are 7 times stronger than steel, which makes them strong enough to take the highest loads. They are light-weight yet smooth and easy to handle. Ropes made with Dyneema® are also safer – there is no danger of backlash or snaking in the unlikely event of a rope break and they last at least twice as long as steel and other synthetic ropes.

Certified Slings and Sup-plies among 2014 “Best Places to Work”

Wellness programs (including an-nual mammogram service and biomet-rics checks), CPR training and paid birthdays off work are some of the ad-vantages that employees of Certified Slings and Supplies enjoy, and led the company to be named among Orlando’s “Best Places to Work” in 2014 by the Orlando Business Journal.

It is the 56-year-old family-owned business’s second such honor. Certified Slings is a manufacturer and distribu-tor of industrial rigging, overhead lift-ing, load securement and safety equip-

principal-based system approach at the full-scale ShoreTension test facility in Vlaardingen. Gert van den Burg: “A partnership can only be successful if all participants deliver high levels of com-mitment, dedication and focus. Gleis-tein Ropes and DSM Dyneema continue to meet our expectations to the full.”

DSM Dyneema President Gerard de Reuver said: “The ShoreTension Sys-tem offers exciting perspectives for the shipping industry in terms of safety and productivity. Moreover, the system also addresses the global challenges of energy conservation and pollution control, which we face as a society. At DSM we are de-


continued from previous pagement and contractor supplies.

Companies selected for “Best Places to Work” were chosen based on how work-ers responded to an anonymous online employee engagement survey with questions about topics that included teamwork, job satisfaction and benefits.

Survey specialists Quantum Work-place gathered the data for Orlando Business Journal and used a propri-etary formula to rank companies based on employee feedback about their satis-faction with their workplace.

Certified Slings’ CEO, Douglas Wor-swick said that a family approach to a growing business keeps the company focused on its true assets: people.

“Our employees’ well-being means the world to us,” Worswick said. “When they’re happy and healthy, they take personal pride in their work and helps Certified Slings continue to thrive among the most respected companies in the country.”

Spider provides access for San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge construction

Spider, a division of SafeWorks, LLC,

provided powered access throughout the eight year construction of the new self-anchor suspension span of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge in California.

American Bridge/Fluor Joint Ven-ture, the general contractor for this massive bridge project, turned to Spider in 2008 for a variety of swing stages, work baskets and hoists. Over the past six years, they purchased and rented standard Spider equipment to enable their workers to access the bridge’s cables, underside of its road-way deck, and its 525 ft tall tower.

Spider’s experienced engineers also designed a custom platform to reach around the exterior of the tower shaft. The equipments’ light weight and easy connections enabled American Bridge/Fluor Joint Venture to change the plat-form’s length as needed to gain better access to the sloping tower face while maximizing the working space on the platforms to maintain productivity.

Spider fall protection equipment in-cluding harnesses, safety lines, rope grabs and lanyards was also imple-mented on-site.

In order to ensure safe, productive equipment operation, Spider’s San Francisco-based team provided both

Competent Person Training and on-site User Training to American Bridge/Fluor Joint Venture. This significantly contributed to six years without any suspended access mishaps or incidents.

“The Bay Bridge project provided many opportunities to think outside the box to get the job done,” comment-ed Levi Gatsos, Design Engineer with American Bridge/Fluor Joint Venture. “Spider’s engineers and local support team rose to every challenge. All in all, their responsiveness to our needs and our experience with their equipment have been excellent.”

Additionally, Spider equipment has also been used by painting and eleva-tor contractors during this bridge con-struction.

To learn more about Spider’s bridge access expertise download our bro-chure at www.spiderstaging.com.

SC&RA Crane & Rigging Workshop scheduled for Sept. 24-26 in Dallas

More than 450 attendees from around the world are expected at the Crane & Rigging Workshop to be held by the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA), Sept. 24-26, at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, Dal-las, Texas. Some of the industry’s top professionals will present educational sessions during the annual workshop, including, in order of schedule:

Getting Beyond Great! How to Achieve Extraordinary Results! – Joe Contrera, ALIVE @ WORK LLC, will examine why some people (and compa-nies) get stuck being average, how you

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and your people might be creating the exact opposite of the results you want, how to shift from current results to ones you want and how to sustain long-term change and success.

Best Practices for Wire Rope Instal-lation – Knut Buschmann, Unirope Ltd., will cover such topics as proper shortening/cutting procedures of high performance wire in the field, install-ing rope onto the drum, block twisting and how to solve it, inspection crite-ria, common causes for rope damage, ASME rope discard tables, and ISO 4309 discard criteria.

The Key to Hiring the Right Lift Director – Joseph Collins, Becht En-gineering, Inc., will walk attendees through requirements outlined by OSHA and ASME, as well as best prac-tices for safe lifting operations. Learn what key resume attributes help a good lift director stand out and how to lever-age your offer so they will not walk away.

Operating Cranes around Power Lines – Bill Smith, NBIS, will identify work zones and how to prevent equip-ment and personnel encroachment in these areas. He will also discuss the use of insulated links, non-conductive rigging, required signage and training

requirements, plus the key elements of a power line safety system for mobile cranes on a jobsite.

Evaluating Sling Stability and Load Equilibrium – Keith Anderson, Bechtel Equipment Operations, will examine a number of case studies to explain what makes a load instable, how to spot is-sues before they become a problem, and how to design arrangements that are guaranteed to be stable.

Be Prepared for MSHA Inspections, Not just OSHA – Stuart Sadler, Oper-ating Training & Inspection Services LLC, will distinguish the two types of inspections by touching on compliance issues for equipment, types of PPE re-quired, magnitude of fines, impact on future work, safety statistics, and most common citations.

Rescuing Personnel From Heights – Brent Wise, Tech Safety Lines, Inc., will present details about how site personnel must be prepared to quickly take responsibility for carrying out an appropriate tower-crane rescue plan, using the necessary equipment and fol-lowing ANSI requirements.

2014 Rigging Jobs of the Year – Rep-resentatives from Fagioli, Omega Mor-gan and Barnhart will present details of this year’s winners, including the re-

covery of the cruise ship Costa Concor-dia off the coast of Italy, the movement of the 87-year old Sellwood Bridge in Portland, OR, and the removal of 10 platforms on a control tower at McCar-ran International Airport in Las Vegas, NV.

How to Effectively Utilize Hydrau-lic Platform Transporters in the Rig-ging Industry – Marco van Daal, The Works International, will focus on a case study on the Mexican Gulf, where living quarters, drill rigs, and more are being built on the shoreline to be trans-ported later by means of a roll-on/roll-off operation onto a barge.

Advanced Rigging & Critical Lift Planning – Mike Parnell, Industrial Training International, will lead par-ticipants on a problem-solving rig-ging session on subjects such as sling tension plus building a lift plan for a situation that incorporates aspects such as crane setup, spreader bars, an advanced rigging arrangement, load schematics, and load travel path.

Understanding Your Company’s E-MOD – Robert Moore and Christopher Nelson, NBIS, will explain how the ex-perience rating modification factor (E-MOD) is used to predict future losses


continued from previous pageof an individual employer by analyzing its past losses and plays a role in work-ers’ compensation premiums. They will also show how each employee plays a role in a company’s E-MOD, both posi-tively and negatively.

Additionally, Workshop registration will include meetings of the SC&RA Tower Crane Committee, Crane & Rigging Group’s Safety Education & Training Committee, Labor Commit-tee, and Governing Committee; a sold out Exhibit Center featuring products and services from 84 companies, a complimentary hot buffet lunch, and a Grand Prize Drawing; and receptions, continental breakfasts, and refresh-ment breaks.

Visit www.scranet.org/events and click on the “Crane & Rigging Work-shop” link to review the program, see who already has registered, learn more about the hotel and travel information, and register as an attendee. Or call SC&RA at (703) 698-0291 for addition-al information.

The Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA) is an internation-al trade association of more than 1,300 members from 43 nations. Members are involved in specialized transporta-

tion, machinery moving and erecting, industrial maintenance, millwright-ing and crane and rigging operations, manufacturing and rental. SC&RA helps members run more efficient and safer businesses by monitoring and af-fecting pending legislation and regula-tory policies at the state and national levels; researching and reporting on safety concerns and best business prac-tices; and providing five yearly forums where these and other relevant mem-ber issues can be advanced.

The Crosby Group Partners with Warriors 4 Wireless to Help Veterans Transition to New Careers

The Crosby Group (“Crosby”), which is home to leading brands Crosby, McK-issick, Lebus, and National Swage, an-nounced a partnership with Warriors 4 Wireless. Crosby is donating mission critical lifting and rigging equipment and training as well as making a finan-cial contribution to support Warriors 4 Wireless, an organization dedicated to helping veterans transition to new ca-reers in the wireless industry.

Crosby’s donated equipment will be used to train returning veterans who

have completed their military deploy-ments and now wish to seek full-time employment within the telecommuni-cations industry, which is experiencing one of the most expansive build-out and upgrade periods ever. Communications Carriers, utilities, federal agencies, wireless vendors and system integra-tors across the U.S. are facing a criti-cal shortage of qualified and trained workers to support critical projects, significantly impacting the entire wire-less technology ecosystem. The major-ity of the skills required to keep pace with the industry-wide expansion align perfectly with those learned in wireless deployment, maintenance and techni-cal support positions of the military, providing a great opportunity to sup-port our returning veterans.

Jason Struthers, CEO of Crosby, stated, “Warriors 4 Wireless is a natu-ral fit for Crosby in that it combines a

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shared passion to give back to our vet-erans with an industry that embraces the quality and safety that Crosby’s rig-ging products and training represent. We are proud to support this venture that assists our veterans as they gain the necessary skills to ensure safety and success in their new vocations.”

Kelley Dunne, President and Co-Founder of Warriors 4 Wireless, stat-ed, “We are honored to be supported by The Crosby Group, which has long been a leader in the wireless infra-structure industry. Their partnership and support is a great example of sup-porting our nation’s veterans to create long term, sustainable careers that will help transform the industry.”

“This collaboration represents part of a broader effort for KKR’s US-based in-dustrial portfolio companies to partner with not-for-profit organizations that benefit from the use of the companies’ products,” said Pete Stavros, a Crosby Director and Head of KKR’s Industri-als investment team. “Crosby and War-riors 4 Wireless are a perfect match. Our servicemen and women coming home deserve strong support as they transition to new careers, and Crosby has the right equipment and training

to do just that.”About Warriors 4 WirelessWarriors 4 Wireless (W4W) is a

non-profit formed to bridge the gap between the demand for trained and deployable wireless technicians and the thousands of qualified servicemen and women eager to transfer the skills they’ve learned in the military to civil-ian careers. Our organization provides training, advanced certification and transitional support for veterans, pro-viding them with the building blocks they need for lucrative new careers in the telecommunications industry. For additional information about Warriors 4 Wireless, please call 855-W4W-JOBS (855-949-5627) or visit www.warrior-s4wireless.com.

About The Crosby GroupThe Crosby Group is a global leader

in the manufacturer of premium acces-sories used in material handling and rigging applications for a wide range of industries. The company, known for its uncompromising quality, premier customer service, and ‘world-class’ training programs, offers the broad-est range of products suitable for the most demanding of operating condi-tions. Products include wire rope clips,

hooks, shackles, lifting clamps, hoist rings, overhaul balls, snatch blocks, crane blocks and sheaves. The Crosby Group is a portfolio company of KKR. For additional information about Cros-by, please call (800) 797-4611 or visit www.thecrosbygroup.com.

Kito Americas, Inc. acquires Peerless Industrial Group

Kito Americas, Inc. announced that the company has entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire Peer-less Industrial Group from Westview Capital Partners II, L.P. by purchas-ing all the shares of Peerless Industrial Group, Inc. The share transfer of Peer-less shall be executed subject to the terms and conditions in the Stock Pur-chase Agreement. Kito Americas, Inc. currently operates Harrington Hoists, Inc. and Kito Canada (KCI) businesses in North America and is the largest subsidiary of the Kito Corporation of Japan. Kito is listed on the Tokyo Stock exchange (TSE1) under the stock ticker 6409.

Kito Americas will, by combining with Peerless, expand its product to


continued from previous pagebetter serve its customer segments around the world and strengthen its North American business. Kito Ameri-cas is currently a market leader in pro-viding powered and manual overhead lifting products. Peerless is the largest manufacturer and distributor of chain and chain products in North America. The combination of the Peerless, Har-rington, and Kito brands will give our combined customers access to a much wider variety of products in the mar-kets currently served and also allow faster expansion of the Peerless prod-ucts throughout Kito’s global network. The final closing of the combination of these companies will occur in late August.

Ned Hunter, Kito Americas’s Presi-dent and CEO of Harrington Hoists, Inc., commented, “Peerless’ product portfolio integrates well with our core overhead lifting customers and also al-lows us to diversify our customer base. We expect to better serve our mate-rial handling customers by offering a much broader, high quality product range and also access new markets around the world through our global subsidiary operations and distribution networks. This combination allows us to better serve our rapidly growing cus-tomer base and also increases our glob-al manufacturing footprint in order to streamline supply chains and provide seamless, high quality services. We are excited about this opportunity to in-crease our value to our customers and team members.”

Tom Wynn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Peerless, com-mented, “We recognize the dramatic opportunity with this joining of our businesses and feel this is a game changer within the industry. It is an-ticipated our combined customers and employees will realize significant val-ue with this new partnership. Wynn went on to say that Kito, Harrington and Peerless all share the same core values and philosophy of superior quality and customer service.”

Yoshio Kito, President of Kito Corpo-ration, commented, “Both Peerless and Kito believe that the quality of products and services is critical to success. We also both believe that it is important to focus on our customers, and to do that, we need to have the best people in the industry. The combination of Peerless and Kito is perfect; we share a common philosophy.”

About Peerless:Established in 1917, Peerless is a

market leader in the design, manufac-turing and supply of chain, overhead lifting, cargo control and traction prod-ucts in North America. Headquartered in Winona, Minnesota they operate three manufacturing locations and six distribution centers. The company of-fers best-in-class products, innovation and custom solutions to a diverse in-dustrial and consumer customer base. Peerless is also recognized around the world for the premium product brands of ACCO, Peerless, Security Chain and the patented products provided within each brand.

About Kito Corporation and Kito Americas, Inc.

Kito Corporation is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of hoists, cranes, and other components for overhead lifting and other material handling products. Kito Americas, Inc. is the US subsidiary of Kito Corpora-tion and is the parent company of Har-rington Hoists, Inc. and Kito Americas. Kito Americas, Harrington Hoists, and Kito Canada operate two manufactur-ing sites and three value added distri-bution sites in North America.

Certified Slings and Supply named charter member of Harrington Hoists & Cranes Gold ClubCasselberry company recognized for performance and sales

Harrington Hoists & Cranes recog-nized Certified Slings and Supply for its brand education and sales volume with charter membership to its Gold Club. Gold Club status notes Certified Slings’ dedication and work to help grow the Harrington brand.

Certified Slings & Supply is a fam-ily owned business that enjoys more than 80 years of combined expertise in custom rigging, overhead lifting, load securement, and is a national leading contractor and supplies provider. Its clients range from theme parks to utili-ties, mining companies, government and contractors.

“We believe in the quality and du-rability of Harrington Hoists and we daily share that information with our clients throughout Florida and in-ternationally,” Certified Slings’ CEO Doug Worswick said. “We’re pleased to join an elite membership estab-lished by Harrington, a company which we have known as a trusted manufacturer.”

“Certified Slings & Supply is an important member of our family of distributors,” Harrington Hoists & Cranes COO Carlo Londardi said. “Making it a Gold Club Award char-ter member is our way of rewarding it for its commitment to our brand and partnership.”

Certified Slings expanded Har-rington’s presence when it added a Harrington Hoists inspection and re-pair facility to its Tampa Service Cen-ter. This, Worswick said, will provide better access to the product throughout the state of Florida.

Orlando-area based Certified Slings & Supply provides direct service to


customers worldwide. Second and third generation family members list a combined 70 years of experience in the 56-year-old business that specializes in the rigging, overhead lifting, load securement and contractor supplies industry. An ISO-certified manufac-turer and distributor, Certified Slings employs 135 team members at seven Florida locations that serve customers throughout the United States, Central and South America as well as the Ca-ribbean. The company further conducts safety seminars, testing and inspection services, engineering and design ser-vices, online shopping and a 24-hour customer service hotline. It is twice recognized among the Orlando Busi-ness Journal’s “Best Places to Work.” For more information visit www.certi-fiedslings.com.

Fagioli, Omega Morgan and Barnhart win SC&RA Rigging Job of the Year Awards

The Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA) has announced* the winners of the Rigging Job of the Year Awards. The awards went to Fagioli, Opera, Italy, in the Jobs over $750,000 category; Omega Mor-gan, Fife, Wash., in the Jobs between $150,000 and $750,000 category; and Barnhart, Memphis, Tenn., in the Jobs under $150,000 category.

Over $750,000: Fagioi Recovers Wreck of Cruise Ship Costa Con-cordia

Fagioli recovered in one piece the wreck of the cruise ship Costa Con-cordia, which had come to rest on an underwater rock ledge off the coast of Isola Del Giglio, Italy, in January 2012. It was the first time that such an op-eration had been performed on a vessel with such huge overall dimensions: 300 meters long and 114,000 gross tons.

Fagioli divided the wreck recovery plan into four basic steps, each involv-ing expert engineering and detailed planning. The steps were anchoring and stabilizing the ship; preparing a false, subsea bottom; righting the ves-sel using rotational leverage (or par-buckling); and, finally, surveying the wreck and installating sponsons.

The first step, stabilization, was car-ried out by securing four anchor blocks to the sea bottom between the center

of the wreck and the coast by means of 16 300- to 450-ton capacity strand jacks positioned on the wreck. Seven more anchor blocks and 12 towers were installed to secure the position of the wreck keel during the rotation. The 12 sets of Fagioli tower lift and strand jack systems (L600 jacks positioned on top of each tower) were combined to perform the stabilization.

Next, a false bottom was prepared on the seabed for the ship to rest on after it was rotated. The subsea platforms, comprised of 1,180 remov-able grout bags weighing more than 16,000 tons, provided a stable base for the vessel.

Eleven large floating tanks, known as sponsons and weighing up to 500 tons each, were positioned on the port side of the ship. Using gantry cranes, mobile cranes and 48 axle lines of SP-MTs, Fagioli provided the equipment for the load out, load in and rotation upside down of the sponsons. After in-stallation of the sponsons by the client, Fagioli rigged 36 strand jacks on top of the 9 sponsons on the starboard side of the wrecked ship.

The power pack units (PPUs) used to allow the 36 jacks to work during the parbuckling operations needed to be placed on the wreck, which meant during the duration, the PPUs not an-chored as the strand jacks could have created a large-scale stability problem. In response, Fagioli’s team used two swinging platforms installed onto the tallest sponsons, equipped with gener-ators and PPUs. This allowed the PPUs to remain stable at the highest water

levels during the rotation. To provide buoyancy and stabilization, two blister tanks were installed at the bow of the ship by the client.

To assure safety in the work area, Fagioli completed the connection of all the electronic and hydraulic com-ponents in a control room positioned on a barge clear of the work area. The strand jacks were remotely controlled from the control room during the rota-tion operation.

In mid-September 2013, the parbuck-ling operation began with three main phases: detaching the wreck from the spurs of rocks on which it rested; the rotation phase induced by strand jacks until the vessel rotated approximately 25 degrees from its initial position; and the rotation phase by means of ballast-ing of the sponsons and jacks. At the end of the final phase the wreck would complete 64 degrees rotation and would rest on the false bottom platform at a depth of 30 meters.

Over the course of more than a year, Fagioli was involved in almost every el-ement of the project, ranging from cal-culations, risk assessment, method of statements, procedures and in the road and sea transport of all the equipment. The job was dramatically influenced by weather and sea conditions with the risk of losing the wreck, or in the worst case, sinking it.

The strand and tower lift positioning was critical, as the ship rested a few meters from rocks where it was impos-sible to position the tower. The founda-tions of the tower were installed in the

2014 Rigging Job of the Year Winners: From left to right, Crane & Rigging Group Head Judge, George Young, George Young Company; Rigging Job of the Year Winners, Edoardo Ascione, Fagioli Inc.; Ralph Dicaprio, Omega Morgan; Chris Howe, Barnhart Crane & Rigging, 2013-14 SC&RA President, Ron Montgomery, Intermountain Rigging and Heavy Haul.


*Editors Note: Though this announcement took place around May 15, 2014, it was too large an item to include in our June issue. However, we thought it still an important and newsworthy story to share despite the timeline.


according to the invention is shown installed and assembled in figure 1. The mast and stay cable system 10 includes an elongated antenna mast 12. The antenna mast 12 may be made from tubular segments (not shown separately in figure 1) joined together end to end, such as by threaded coupling, pinning or other device known in the art to couple segments longitudinally to form an elongated element. The mast 12 may be made from aluminum or other high strength, light-weight metal, or from fiber reinforced plastic, such as glass

Helicopter transportable antenna mast and stay ca-ble systemPat. 7,796,093 U.S. class 343/874 Int. class H01Q 1/12Inventor: Gary Lee Scott, Richmond, TX.Assignee: Geokinetics Acquisition Company, Houston, TX.

An antenna mast system includes an antenna mast and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart upper cable tensioning arms each coupled at one end proximate the top of the mast. A plurality of circumferentially spaced apart lower cable tensioning arms are each coupled at one end to the mast at a selected distance below the upper cable tensioning arms. A plurality of stay cables are each coupled at one end to one of the upper cable tensioning arms and at the other end to an anchor affixed to the ground. The stay cables are each coupled to a respective one of the lower tensioning arms. The system includes means for tensioning the stay cables.

One example of an antenna mast and stay cable system

Inventor’sCorner

By William Fischer

Figure 1: Example of an antenna and stay cable system installed, assembled and erected at a particular location.

Figure 2: Detailed view of tensioning arms used in the example of figure 1.

Thank you for your interest in this addition of Inventor’s Corner. We continue to illustrate innovations which will help to revitalize heavy industry and encourage growth. As always, we hope this column spurs ideas in how these innovations can aid in your business and commerce.

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fiber or graphite fiber reinforced plastic.Examples of coupling mast segments end to end are shown

in figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 shows a mast segment 112A hav-ing a male threaded coupling 112 at one end. The threads on the male threaded coupling 112 are configured to mate with threads on a corresponding female threaded coupling 212 disposed at the longitudinal end of an adjacent mast segment 112A. Figure 3 shows a mast segment having a re-duced diameter pin end 312 and a hole 112B for a locking pin 112C. A mating box end 412 with corresponding lock-ing pin hole 112B is shown at the longitudinal end of an adjacent mast segment 112A and accepts the pin end 312. The locking pin 112C is inserted through the holes 112B in both segments 112A when they are placed together. The pin 112C may be retained in place by a “hairpin” spring clip 112D or similar retaining element.

The mast 12 may have a length in the range of about 40 to 120 feet (13 to 40 meters) although the particular length of the mast 12 is not intended to limit the scope of the inven-tion. The length of the mast 12 used in any particular appli-cation of the mast and stay cable system 10 may be selected such that an antenna element 14 disposed at the upper end of the mast 12 will be positioned above any vegetation or other obstruction to radio communication. If the mast 12 is formed from longitudinally coupled segments, the length of the mast 12 may be readily changed to suit the particular application.

The mast 12 may be supported on its bottom end when the system 10 is erected by a support spike 26 coupled or af-fixed to the bottom end of the mast 12. The support spike 26 may be a sharp pointed, rigid device intended to penetrate the ground surface 30 when the mast 12 is lowered to the ground 30, or, alternatively, the support spike 26 may be a blunt-ended device configured to rest in a suitable receptacle 26A inserted into the ground 30. The purpose of the support spike 26, however secured to the ground 30, is to prevent lateral movement of the bottom of the mast 12. In the event a receptacle 26A is used, the mast 12 may be configured without a support spike as a separate and distinct element. In such case, the lower end mast 12 may be inserted directly into the receptacle 26A.

During assembly of the mast system 10, the mast 12 may be suspended from one end of a support cable 16. The other end of the support cable 16 may be held above the mast po-sition from a helicopter or other device such as a crane or winch. The cable 16 may be connected to the mast 12 by a cable support 31, which may be in the form of a rod, channel, I-beam, stretched cable or other structure that can support


Figure 3: Detailed view of an example device to releasably couple a stay cable to an anchor and to apply tension to the stay cable.


cables 20 provides the combined structure of mast 12 and upper stay cables 20 with substantial resistance to lateral deflection such as by wind or the weight of any equipment installed near the top of the mast 12, including the antenna element.

Figure 5 shows a more detailed view of the quick connect 35 coupled to the anchor eye 34. The quick connect 35 may include two, spring loaded levers 35A, 35B which are ordi-narily urged such that the distal ends overlap, forming a closed loop. When a user depresses the two open ends of the levers 35A, 35B together, the loop opens, enabling the loop to be removed from (or affixed to) the eye 34. The tensioner may be a wire “come-along” of any type known in the art.

In other examples, the tensioning arms 22, 23 may be fixedly coupled to the mast so as to extend laterally perpen-dicularly outward from the longitudinal axis of the mast, substantially as shown in figure 1. In such implementations, the lower stay cable 21 and the upper stay cable 20 may each be formed from single length of wire rope or the like, and fixedly attached to the outer end of one of upper ten-sioning arms. The outer end of each lower tensioning arm 23 may include an eye (not shown in FIG. 1) or other closed guide such that tension on the lower stay cable 21 will be directly applied to the upper stay cable 20.

Dynamic tension control apparatus and method for aero-mechanical conveyorPat. 7,798,313 U.S. class 198/814 Int. class B65G 23/44Inventor: David Francis Hesketh, Fort Mill, SC.Assignee: Spiroflow Systems, Inc., Monroe, NC.

This patent presents a tensioning assembly for use in an aero-mechanical conveyor for moving bulk materials. The conveyor includes upper and lower housings having head and tail pulley assemblies mounted therein. The tensioning assembly includes first and second extendable tubes that de-

a cable loop, closed eye, ball or other termination coupled to or formed in the end of the cable 16.

In the present embodiment, the cable support 31 may be in the form of a rod to engage a loop in the end of the cable 16. The support rod 31 may be configured such that when

the mast 12 is supported by the helicopter or other device, the cable 16 will be stopped from moving at the upper end of the cable support rod 31 so as to transfer the weight of the mast 12 through the end of the support rod 31 to the cable 16 (and thus to the helicopter or other device). The mast 12 may thus be held in a near vertical orientation by the ten-sion on the cable 16 during assembly of the mast system 10. After assembly of the mast system 10 is substantially

completed so as to laterally support the mast 12, as will be explained further below, the helicopter (not shown) or other device may extend the cable 16. When the mast 12 is sup-ported laterally, extending the cable 16 will cause it to slide down the support rod 31 so as to enable its removal from the bottom of the support rod 31. The helicopter (not shown) or other device may then retract the cable 16 and leave the mast system 10 assembly location.

Referring to figure 4, the upper tensioning arms 22 and lower tensioning arms 23 are shown in their retracted posi-tions, that is, with the free ends moved laterally proximate the mast 12. Each of the upper tensioning arms 22 can be urged into its retracted position, as shown, by means of a torsion spring 27 disposed around each pivot 24 and con-figured to rotate the free end of each corresponding upper tensioning arm 22 toward the mast 12. Correspondingly, each lower tensioning arm 23 may be urged into its later-ally retracted position by an associated torsion spring 29. As the lower tensioning arms 25 are pulled away from the mast 12 by the users pulling on the lower stay cables 21 and engaging the quick connects, the torsion springs 27, 29 pro-vide tension on both the lower stay cables and on the upper stay cables 20. Tension thus maintained on the upper stay


Figure 6: Cut-away side elevation of a tension control.

Figure 5: Cross section of second embodiment of a mast.

Figure 4: Cross section of first embodiment of a mast.


tioned in the infeed housing 14. A continuous rope assem-bly 40 upon which multiple identical disks 42 are carried is disposed around the head and tail pulley assemblies 32 and 36, and extends through the respective inflow and outflow conveyor tubes 16 and 18. Inflow conveyor tube 16 includes an inlet tube 48 having a lower end 50 which is connected to infeed housing 14. The inlet tube 48 also includes an upper end 52. Tubular portion 54 is connected to the upper hous-ing 12 at the bottom portion 22 at an upper end 56. Outflow conveyor tube 18 similarly includes an outlet tube 62 having a lower end 64 connected to infeed housing 14 and an upper end 66. A second upper tubular portion 68 of outflow con-veyor tube 18 has an upper end 70 connected to the housing 12 and a lower end 69.

A drive mechanism 44 is positioned adjacent to the infeed housing 14 and is operatively connected to the lower shaft 38. The drive mechanism 44 drives the lower shaft 38, caus-ing the head pulley assembly 32 to rotate. This in turn drives the tail pulley assembly 36, and causes the rope assembly 40 to travel in the direction “D” shown. As the rope assembly travels, the disks 42 carry particulate matter from the inlet hopper 30 through the inflow conveyor tube 16, and into the upper housing 12, where the particulate matter exits the con-veyor 10 through the outlet opening 28. Although the drive mechanism 44 is shown in figure 6 operatively connected to the lower shaft 38, the drive mechanism 44 may alternatively be operatively connected to the upper shaft 34.

Continuing to refer to figure 6, the conveyor 10 also in-

cludes a tensioning assembly 200 which is configured to maintain a preselected amount of tension on the rope as-sembly 40. While the tensioning assembly 200 is shown in figure 6 in use on a vertical aero-mechanical conveyor, the

fine sections of inflow and outflow conveyor tubes that inter-connect the upper and lower housings. An endless rope as-sembly is disposed within the conveyor tubes and around the head and tail pulleys. An adjustable actuator is positioned in cooperative engagement with the first and second extend-able tubes. When the actuator is in a first position, the ex-tendable tubes have a first length and when the actuator is in a second position, the extendable tubes have a second length. The actuator is configured to move between the first position and the second position in response to changes in tension within the endless rope assembly as indicated by a signal from a tension measuring device.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, an aero-me-chanical conveyor according to the present invention is illus-trated in figure 6 and shown generally at reference numeral 10. The conveyor 10 includes an upper housing 12 and an infeed housing 14 that are interconnected by inflow and out-flow conveyor tubes 16 and 18. A head pulley assembly 32 that includes a sprocket is mounted on an upper shaft 34 that is positioned in the upper housing 12. Upper shaft 34 extends through one side of the upper housing 12 perpen-dicularly to the plane upon which rope assembly 40 travels. The upper shaft 34 is carried by and extends through bear-ing housings (not shown). The upper housing 12 includes a top portion 20 that is removably attached to a bottom por-tion 22 along first and second angle flanges 24. The top por-tion 20 is removable for permitting access to the interior of the upper housing 12 for inspection and maintenance, and defines an outlet opening 28 through which particulate mat-ter can exit the conveyor 10. The upper housing 12 may op-tionally include a discharge chute.

The infeed housing 14 of conveyor 10 includes an inlet hopper 30 for storing particulate matter “P.” A tail pulley assembly 36 is mounted on a lower shaft 38 that is posi-


Figure 7: Partial front view of the tension control apparatus shown in figure 6, wherein the tension control apparatus is in a first position.

Figure 8: Tension control apparatus shown in figure 7, wherein the tension control apparatus is in second position.


tensioning assembly 200 may be used on an angled or hori-zontal conveyor, or on a conveyor having interconnected ver-tical and horizontal sections.

In one embodiment, tensioning assembly 200 includes flanges 202A, 202B that are attached to opposite ends of extendable tubes 220A, 220B and a pneumatic actuator 262 configured to extend and contract extendable tubes 220A, 220B by applying force to flanges 202A, 202B. Each flange 202A, 202B is an elongated bar having an opening formed through each end.

Referring to figures 7 and 8, each extendable tube 220A, 220B includes an outer sleeve 222A, 222B, that are each attached at one end to a flange 202A. In this regard, the bore of the outer sleeve 222A, 222B is aligned with an open-ing formed through flange 202A. Tensioning assembly 200 also includes a pair of inner sleeves 242A, 242B that are at-tached at one end to a flange 202B and are slidably received within the outer sleeves 222A, 222B at the other end. In-ner sleeves 242A, 242B are each a cylindrical tube that has a bore that together with the bore through the associated outer sleeve 222A, 222B forms a passageway for conveying particulate. A pair of seals 244A and 244B are positioned around each of the inner sleeves 242A, 242B for engaging outer sleeve 222A, 222B.

An air purge passageway 245 is formed through outer sleeves 222A, 222B that connects a space defined between outer sleeve 222A, 222B; inner sleeve 242A, 242B; and the pair of seals 244A 244B to a source of compressed air. The compressed air is maintained at a pressure sufficient to purge the space and to prevent accumulation of dust and debris within the space. The sealing members can be o-rings formed of PTFE, EPDM, butyl rubber, or other suitable ma-terial. Each engaged set of outer sleeves 222A, 222B and inner sleeves 242A, 242B form an extendable tube 220A, 220B that each defines a section of inflow and outflow con-veyor tubes 16 and 18 respectively. It should be appreciated that extendable tubes according the present invention can be formed directly from the inflow and outflow conveyor tubes 16 and 18 that are attached to the upper housing 12 and the infeed housing 14.

A pneumatic actuator 262 is positioned between the tubes 220A, 220B and is connected to flanges 202A, 202B at oppo-site ends. Movement of pneumatic actuator 262 causes move-ment of flange 202A relative to flange 202B and thus move-ment of the tubes 220A, 220B. The pneumatic actuator 262 is connected to a source of compressed air 263 that can be ad-justed to a predetermined pressure via a pressure regulator 264. Tubes 220A, 220B can thus be extended and retracted by varying the air pressure applied to the pneumatic actuator 262, and tubes 220A, 220B can be held in a desired position by maintaining a constant air pressure with pressure regula-tor 264 when the tension on rope assembly 40 is constant. In this regard, the air pressure of pneumatic actuator 262 is a signal indicative of tension in rope assembly 40.

Tensioning assembly 200 is positioned between upper housing 12 and lower housing 14 of aero-mechanical con-veyor 10. Referring again to figure 6, upper end 52 of the inlet tube 48 is connected to second flange 202B at an open-ing such that inlet tube 48 is axially aligned with the pas-sageway that extends through extendable tube 200A. End 55 of first upper tubular portion 54 is connected to first flange 202A such that tubular portion 54 is connected with inlet tube 48 via the passageway of second extendable tube 220B. Similarly, upper end 66 of outlet tube 62 is connected to second flange 202B at an opening such that inlet tube 48

is axially aligned with the passageway of first extendable tube 220A. Lower end 69 of second upper tubular portion 68 is connected to first flange 202A such that tubular portion 68 is connected to outlet tube 62 via the passageway of first extendable tube 220A.

Cable assembly with anchorPat. 8,181,437 U.S. class 57/22 Int. class D01H 15/00Inventor: David Malcolm Glennie, Singapore, SG., Lew Kah Hoo, Singapore, SG.Assignee: Franklin Offshore International Pte. Ltd., Singa-pore, SG.

A cable assembly comprises a cable having a main body, strands, a tail and a first cable end, an anchor, and a sleeve having a bore, a first end and a second end. The first end is positioned generally adjacent to the anchor, the second end is positioned remote from the anchor, and the cable end is positioned in the bore. A cured adhesive is positioned in the bore, binding the sleeve to the cable, along with a rope insert which is positioned at least partially in the bore, wherein the cured adhesive holds at least one rope insert in a fixed posi-tion with respect to the sleeve.

Turning now to the drawings, figure 9 shows a side view


Figure 9: Side view of a cable assembly with a flemish eye.

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of a preferred embodiment of the cable assembly 10. The cable assembly 10 includes a cable 12 having a main body 14. Preferably the cable 12 comprises a core rope and outer ropes 19. Each rope preferably comprises a series of strands 16. The construction of the core rope and the outer ropes 19 is preferably in accordance with the standards specified in ISO 10425:2003 API-9A. Each of the strands 16 can com-prise steel or another suitable high strength material. Pref-erably the cable assembly 10 has an anchor 25. The anchor 25 can be formed as a flemish eye 24. Rope 19 of the cable is split into portions at a tail 20 and wrapped over an opposite portion of the rope. The portions are recombined with the main body 14 at a cable end 22 at a sleeve 30. Optionally an end cap 70 may be provided which is useful as an anti-fouling member during use. In a similar manner, the anchor can also comprise a second anchor 125 formed as a second flemish eye 124 at a second tail 120 and may be closed off at a second end 122 of the cable 12 using a second sleeve 130 and an optional second end cap 170.

Figure 10 is a cross section view of an end of flemish eye 24 at the sleeve 30 of figure 1 where the strands are recom-bined with the main body 14. As noted above the flemish eye 24 is formed by dividing strands of the cable at the tail 20, and wrapping or laying the strands over each other. A first end 22 of the cable is secured around the main body of the cable inside a bore 32 of the sleeve 30. Preferably the sleeve 30 circumferentially surrounds a portion of the main body 14 of the cable 12 and a portion of the tail 20. The sleeve 30 has a first end 34 generally adjacent the anchor 25 and a second end 36 positioned more remote from the anchor 25. The tail 20 is preferably distributed or wrapped evenly around the main body 14 of the cable to ensure a uniform load distribution.

The sleeve 30 and adhesive 40 cooperate to lock the strands 16 of the cable 12 in place. A positioning ring 60 may be provided which is preferably positioned in the bore 32. The ring 60 may extend circumferentially around the cable


Figure 10: Longitudinal cross section view taken through the sleeve showing rope inserts and a positioning ring.


12. The ring 60 acts an alignment agent, centering the cable within the bore 32. The ring 60 also allows the tail and main body 14 to set in the adhesive in a controlled manner dur-ing assembly. Preferably the ring is positioned near a second end 36 of the sleeve 30. Both the sleeve and the positioning ring may be made of steel or other suitable high strength material.

The adhesive 40 which is used to help hold the flemish eye 24 in place is preferably a composite resin or a thermoset-ting resin. A suitable example of an acceptable resin is sold under the name Maklock. During assembly, the adhesive is introduced into the sleeve after the flemish eye is formed and the sleeve is fitted around the cable. The second end 36 of the sleeve is preferably sealed using plasticine or a simi-lar material to prevent leakage. As a further advantageous step, a quantity of the resin, such as between 5 and 10% of the total volume, is preferably mixed and poured into the

sleeve after the sleeve is sealed. The adhesive is preferably allowed to harden before a main pour is made to complete and strengthen the seal ensuring that there will be no leak-age of the main pour. Once the resin is mixed to a preferred consistency, the resin should be poured immediately into the sleeve to ensure good penetration into interstices (gaps) of the cable. Immediate pouring will ensure that the gelling stage occurs in the sleeve and not in the mixing container. Preferably, the adhesive is poured down the side of the sleeve to allow air to escape.

The cap 70 may preferably be attached to the second end 36 of the sleeve 30 remote from the flemish eye in any of a number of ways, for example, welded together, with the cable 12 extending through the cap bore 72. The cap may comprise steel or other suitable high strength material. As shown in figure 2, the shape of the cap 70 is preferably conical. That is, the first end 74 of the cap has a cross sec-tion width 78 greater than a cross section width 79 of the second end 76 of the cap 70. The purpose of the cap is two fold: to provide some extra support for the sleeve to restrict

relative movement, and to act as an anti-fouling member when in use. That is, the cap helps guide external elements away from the sleeve, preventing them from catching on the sleeve. This helps to ensure smooth maneuvering of the ca-ble assembly when in use.

In accordance with a highly advantageous feature, rope inserts 50 are positioned within the bore 32 of the sleeve 30. The rope inserts 50 preferably comprise a short length of a cable similar to the material used for cable 12. However, the rope inserts 50 may use strands smaller in diameter than the strands 16 of cable 12. The rope inserts are shown in figure 10 as positioned within the bore circumferentially around the cable 12 and can preferably have a stem 52 and broom 54. Most preferably, at least one rope insert extends partially out of the adhesive and even out of the bore of the sleeve. That is, the broom 54 is exposed by a small amount (for example 1 to 2 mm) above the adhesive. The broom 54 can comprise part of the rope insert which is separated or unwound to increase surface area for the adhesive 40 to bind to. Preferably, the broom 54 is closer to the first end 34 of the sleeve 30 than the stem 52. The broom can comprise part of


Figure 11: Cross section view of the sleeve taken through line 3-3 in figure 10.



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the rope insert which is separated or unwound to increase surface area for the adhesive 40 to bind to. This increased surface area is highly advantageous, especially with large cable assemblies in that the adhesive has more material to bind to, increasing strength of the cable assembly and help-ing to reduce surface cracking of the adhesive.

Figures 11-13 show cross section views of the cable in the sleeve 30, taken through figure 2. Figure 11 is taken through the broom 54 of the rope insert 50, figure 12 is taken through the stem 52 of the rope insert, and figure 13 is taken where the rope insert is not present. In figures 11 and 12, the rope inserts 50 are shown positioned spaced evenly and circum-ferentially around both the main body 14 of the cable 12 and part of the tail 20, in the adhesive 40. Figure 12 also shows an option where the tail 20 is partially unwound. Figure 13 shows the main body 14 having a cable diameter 13 which is used to calculate a preferred length 38 of the sleeve 30, as noted above. In the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, the cable 12 comprises a core rope 17 having the outer ropes 19 wrapped around the core. Various numbers of outer ropes may be used, depending upon the intended application.

Device for strapping packages with strapping materialPat. 7,757,468 U.S. class 53/589 Int. class B65B 13/06Inventor: Hans Gunter Kastner, Wulfrath, DE.Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc., Glenview, IL.

An improved retainer system allows reliable strapping of a package while incurring only minimized wear. An additional retainer device is placed in front of the inner side of the strap guide frame and comprises an elastic, longitudinally stretch-ing element and a mating support. The elastic element and

mating support are made of a low-wear material relative to the strap and are mutually parallel, as well as parallel to the strap outlet aperture. The elastic element and the mat-ing support together subtend a gap through which the strap is pulled.

Figure 14 shows a package strapping apparatus denoted overall by the reference 10. The apparatus shows a strap guide frame 11 mounted on a base S. A number of differ-ent and omitted units are housed within the base S, one of the units being a strap locking system. A packing bench supporting the package to be strapped and conventionally transverse to the frame 11 also is omitted.

The strap guide frame 11 is constituted by four frame legs 12 joined to each other by corner parts 13. The frame fur-thermore comprises a first retainer device 14 consisting of flaps or lids 15 and 16 and enclosing strap outlet aperture 23 omitted from this Figure but shown in figure 15. In this Figure a pair of lids 15, 16 is supported on each frame leg 12, the lengths of the lids 15 and 16 in each case substantially corresponding to the length of a frame leg 12, as a result of which the lids 15 and 16 completely close the strap outlet aperture 23.

A second retainer device 17 is associated with at least one side of the strap guide frame 11, in this instance therefore the inside, of a segment of the strap outlet aperture 23, and the second device here comprises elastic elements in the form of prestressed and hence energetically elastic (non dissipative of energy) wire cables 18 and 19 subtending between them a gap 24. In this instance each pair of wire cables 18 and 19 is respectively associated to a frame leg 12. Accordingly the second retainer device 17 shown in figure 14 comprises four



pairs of wire cables 18 and 19. Obviously a circumferential pair of wire cables 18 and 19 also may be used as energy-conserving cable elements.

Two holder components 20 and 21 being part of the re-tainer device 17 are mounted on each corner part 13. The strap 22 (omitted from figure 1) is shot in the direction of

the arrow “a” by means of an omitted but well known strap mover at high speed into the strap guide frame 11 until the leading strap end, having completed one lap through the frame, has reached the locking unit. Once there, the end of the strap 22 is held in place and the free length of the strap 22 will be pulled back in the arrow direction “b”. In the pro-

cess, the pairs of lids 15 and 16 open up and uncover the strap outlet aperture 23, as a result of which the tape can be pulled out of the strap guide frame 11 and be pulled farther through the gap 24 subtended between the cables 18 and 19 until the constituted strap loop around the package has been tautened.

Figure 15 is a sectional view along line II-II of figure 1 of a frame leg 12. The lids 15 and 16 are suspended from a C-shaped clearance 25 of the frame leg 12 to allow them to tip open in the directions “c” and “d” away from the leg 12. By means of fasteners 27, a helical spring 26 connects the pair of lids 15, 16 to each other and keeps them in a rest position closing the tape (strap) duct 23. A strap guide part 28 is configured in the strap guide frame 11 and subtends a glide surface 29 on which the strap 22 is inserted without significant friction into the strap guide frame 11. The pair of wire cables 18, 19 is configured a space before the strap outlet aperture 23 and subtends the gap 24 of a width “w” less than the strap width W.

Figure 16 is a sectional view corresponding to figure 15, the strap 22 in this instance being partly pulled out of the strap guide frame 11 and through the gap 24 of the second retainer device 17. When pulling the strap 22 out of its guide frame 11, the lids 15 and 16 of the first retainer device 14 are opened in the displacement directions “c” and “d” by the strap 22 or by extraneous control and in this manner they uncover the strap outlet aperture 23. Next the strap 22 dips into the gap 24 subtended by the wire cables 18 and 19 of the second retainer device 17 and in this manners the strap expands the gap 24.

Figure 17 is a partial, perspective view of a frame leg 12 and shows that the wire cables 18 and 19 will be forced apart only in that zone where the strap 22 is being pulled out at the time. Accordingly the wire cables 18 and 19 are consecutively forced apart by the strap 11 and then will im-mediately close thereafter. They restore automatically the gap which is less than the strap width W. This process may be construed as being a consecutive peeling of the strap 22 out of the second strap retainer device.

Figure 18 shows a section of a leg 12 of the strap guide


Figure 15: Cross-section of the strap guide frame along the sectional line II-II of figure 14.

Figure 16: Sectional view in the manner of figure 15 showing the strap when being pulled back and tensioned.

Figure 14: Perspective overview of the strapping apparatus.


frame 11, the second retainer device 17 in this instance be-ing of a different design. Instead of the two wire cables 18 and 19 that heretofore combined the mating support and the elastic element into each other, this new design associates a substantially rigid mating support 30 with the wire cable 18. The mating support 30 is mounted by means of a cross-sectionally C-shaped bar 31 to the frame leg 12, whereby its strap guide surface 32 is situated approximately in the area of present left outer edge 33 of figure 5 of the strap 22. If the strap guide surface 32 were situated too far in the zone of strap width W, the strap 23 when being pulled through the gap 24 would be undesirably twisted by the mating support 30, possibly entailing defective package strapping. On the other hand the longitudinally stretched wire cable 18 can be forced away from the mating support and is situated in the zone of the strapping width W, and is forced apart in gap-widening manner by the strap 22.

Durable RFID tagPat. 8,763,910 U.S. class 235/487 Int. class G06K 19/00Inventor: Peter J. Hansen, Fishers, IN., Brandon C. Green-

berg, Indianapolis, IN.Applicant: Peter J. Hansen, Fishers, IN., Brandon C.

Greenberg, Indianapolis, IN. Plastic asset identification tags are described. The tags

define an attachment feature by which the tag is attached to the asset. The tag also defines a cavity or slot in which an RFID transceiver is placed. Epoxy fills the remainder of the slot or cavity. The RFID transceiver is programmed to respond to interrogation by transmitting a unique iden-tifier that is associated with the object to which the tag is attached. Additional information about the object may also be responsively transmitted, and in some embodiments that additional information is also written on the outside of the tag. Other tags seal the RFID transceiver within a pocket of flexible fabric-supported PVC.

Turning now to the embodiment illustrated in figure 19, tag 100 includes an information-bearing surface 102, through-hole 104, RFID transponder 106, and transponder embedding cavity 108. Information-bearing region 102 is engraved with information about the item to which tag 100 is attached. In the illustrated embodiment, that object is a chain, and the displayed information includes the working load limit (WLL), serial number, size, grade, reach in feet and inches, and number of legs of the chain. In some applica-

tions, additional information about the chain, such as acqui-sition date and source, maintenance records, and the like, is maintained in separated paper and/or electronic records. In other embodiments, such additional information is encoded on the RFID transponder 106 instead of or in addition to the information engraved in information-bearing surface 102.

RFID transponder 106 is positioned in transponder em-bedding cavity 108 as will be discussed further below. In the exemplary embodiment, the RFID transponder 106 is an INFOCHIP RFID chip manufactured and distributed by InfoChip Systems, Inc., of Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada. In other embodiments, alternative RFID transponders are used. For example, RFID transponder 106 in various em-bodiments is active, semi-passive, or passive. Various tran-sponders will have an integrated antenna, an external an-tenna, or both. The data provided by the RFID transponder 106 in various embodiments is loaded into the transponder 106 before it is placed within tag 100, after it is inserted into transponder receiving cavity 108, or repeatedly over time by remote means as will be understood by those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure.

Turning to figure 20, a plan view of tag 100 is presented, and will be referred to in a description of the fabrication of tag 100. In this exemplary fabrication method, a sheet of


Figure 17: Perspective of a portion of the strap guide frame of figure 16.

Figure 18: Sectional view of the strap guide frame along the sectional line II-II of figure 14.

Figure 19: Perspective view of an identification tag.


plastic is prepared into rectangular sheets about 5 inch-es long, 1.5 inches wide, and 0.25 inch thick. The overall shape varies from one embodiment to another, but this em-bodiment includes rounded corners 114 and through hole 104. A laser, such as model V460-60 produced by Universal Laser Systems, Inc. of Scottsdale, AZ, takes a computer-readable graphics file as input and generates the outer contour accordingly, including curves 114. The laser also produces through hole 104 and engraves the identifying and characteristic information into information-bearing surface 102 as illustrated in figure 19. Transponder em-bedding cavity 108 is then created in the end of tag 100. In some embodiments, cavity 108 is created by a rotary bit, by laser, or by other methods that will occur to those skilled in the art based upon the present disclosure. Cavity 108 may be deep enough within the volume of tag 100 so that impact on the surface of tag 100 is unlikely to damage the RFID transponder 106.

The remaining space in transceiver cavity 108 is then filled. Abundant options will occur to those skilled in the art in the selection of materials with which to fill that space, but one suitable example is a 2-part epoxy casting resin (RESINLAB EP 965 LVLX Black), available for example from Ellsworth Adhesives in Germantown, WI. Alternative filling materials include LOCTITE HYSOL E-30CL, RESIN-LAB EP 1046 FG or RESINLAB EP 1121, or 3M SCOTCH-WELD Structural Plastic Adhesive DP-8005, all available

from Ellsworth Adhesives. The epoxy is inserted into cavity 108 after transponder 106, then cures at room temperature for one hour to a semi-rigid polymer state. Various materi-als are selected for different use cases, considering void pen-etration, wetting and adhesion properties, void penetration, air release, and finish to a smooth, high-gloss surface. Other factors include resistance to water, acids, bases and most organic solvents, ensuring that the RFID transponder 106 is protected from many physical threats. Of course, other fill substances meet other design goals and will occur to those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure.

In this exemplary embodiment, the body of tag 100 is fabricated from NYLATRON GS from DSM Engineering Plastic Products in Reading, PA. Other embodiments are injection molded from DSM’s STANYL TW363, or ZYTEL ST801AW NC010 from DuPont. Those skilled in the art will find PVC, acrylics, and other plastics suitable for various applications. The tag 100 in this exemplary embodiment is UV-resistant and durable through high temperatures, sun exposure, water exposure, and other natural threats to its integrity. In this embodiment, after the fill substance in cavity 108 is set, the chip is encoded with information. In some embodiments, the information encoded into tran-sponder 106 is precisely the data engraved in information-bearing surface 102. In others, only the serial number is stored in transponder 106, while in still others additional recordkeeping information is stored.

A second embodiment is shown in figure 21. In this varia-tion, tag 200 includes information-bearing region 202 and through-holes 204. Region 202 includes written information such as a company name, a number, a weight, and a work-ing load limit. Through-holes 204 enable the attachment of tag 200 to identified objects by mechanical looping. An RFID transponder is embedded in tag 200 in another transpon-der-placement region 208. Referring to figure 21, it can be seen that transponder-placement region 208 is not located between through-holes 204.

Figure 22 illustrates another embodiment, suitable for sit-uations when legible writing on the outside of the tag is not needed. In this embodiment, tag 300 comprises body 302, which defines through-hole 304 and cavity 306. Transceiver


Figure 20:Plan view of the embodiment of figure 19.

Figure 21: Perspective view of an identification tag according to a second embodiment.

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308 is placed within cavity 306, and the remainder of cavity 306 is filled with epoxy 310. This embodiment can be made very small (relative to the size of RFID transceiver 308).

Figure 23 illustrates another embodiment, tag 400. In this embodiment, tag 400 is made primarily of 18-pound, fabric-supported PVC sheets. Tail portion 402 in this em-bodiment merely provides a rectangular area that is use-ful for attachment to an object as will be discussed further in relation to figure 24, below. Head portion 404 includes a multi-layer pocket 406 in which RFID transceiver 408

is placed. After that placement, pocket 406 is RF-welded shut along closed path 410. Other closure techniques may be used in alternative embodiments, as will occur to those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure. As shown in these embodiments, the RF-weld along path 410 makes pocket 406 substantially waterproof The data avail-able through RFID transceiver 408 in this embodiment can be any of the options described in relation to the embodi-ments above, or others as will occur to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure.

Figure 24 illustrates one way in which tag 400 can be af-fixed to certain assets. In this illustration, object 420 is a part of the asset, such as a strap, rope, sling, cable, or the like. Capacity label 430 is wrapped around object 420 and over tag 400, then is sewn along stitching line 440 using durable nylon thread or the like. The stitching crosses the edge of capacity tag 430 and upper portion 402 of tag 400, thereby affixing both identification tag 400 and capacity tag 430 to object 420. Conventional capacity tags 430 are of a dimension and quality that allows RFID transceiver 408 to be queried from a suitable distance.

Alternative Fabrication Technique An alternative method for fabricating tags 100, 200, and

300 involves injection molding techniques. This process be-gins with resin in pellet form and ultraviolet-resistant dye, each of which is dried using conventional techniques to re-move moisture in advance of the injection molding process. In some embodiments, the resin and dye are dried to about 0.01% moisture, while in other embodiments, the threshold is set at some other value less than or equal to 0.05%. The plastic resin and dye are then blended and loaded into a hop-

continued on next pageFigure 22: Perspective view of an identification tag according to a third embodiment.


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per for screw injection molding. Of course, in other embodi-ments, other types of molding will be used as will occur to those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure.

During the molding process, the dyed resin is injected into a die to form the tag body, including defining the slot, or cavity, and any text and/or symbols that are to appear on information-bearing surface 102. The injection dies in this embodiment are water-cooled, and once the plastic is inject-ed, the dies are cooled and the tag is ejected from the die. In other embodiments, multi-cavity dies are used to form multiple tags (having the same or different shapes and/or markings simultaneously).

The tags are then “seasoned” by exposure to greater lev-els of humidity until their moisture content reaches about 2.7%. In other embodiments, of course, other moisture con-tent thresholds will be used, as will occur to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure. RFID transceiver chips are then inserted into the slot that was molded into each tag, and the remainder of the slot is filled with epoxy. Ad-ditional information to be added to information-bearing surface 102 can be written using hand stamping, vibratory etching, laser etching, or screen printing. Other methods of writing data on the outside of the tag so that it is visible and legible will occur to those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure.

Testing Tags made according to the first exemplary embodiment

above have been put through a shot peening chamber 250 consecutive times, placed under a concrete block and jerk-ed out 15 times, then run over with a forklift 5 times, and placed on a chain and dragged behind a vehicle on the high-way for over 2 hours. The RFID transceiver in each tag still functioned as intended. Another tag made according to the first exemplary embodiment above was exposed to 65,000 pounds of pressure asserted perpendicular to the large side that includes information-bearing surface 102. Though the text on the tag was somewhat deformed, it was still legible (it was primarily just larger than it had been), and the RFID transceiver still worked.

As illustrated in figure 25, a tag 500 of the form illustrated in figures 23-24 was attached to an industrial-grade sling 510, and a length-wise strain force F was imposed length-wise on each end of the sling 510. The point at which the tag 500 was affixed to the sling 510 was placed outside the bight 520 in the sling 510, within the protective sheath of the sling 510 on the side opposite post 530. A pulling force of 2F=45,000 pounds was applied, and the RFID transceiver 540 in tag 500 still functioned. WRN


Figure 23: Plan view of an identification tag according to a fourth embodiment.

Figure 24: Perspective view of an identification tag according to the fourth embodiment as it is being affixed to an industrial lifting device.

Figure 25: Schematic view of a test configuration applied to an identification tag according to the fourth embodiment.



seabed by professional sea divers.“This was a job significantly influ-

enced by the dramatic events that oc-curred to the wreck, and there was a psychological pressure every day after the accident by the worldwide media,” said Fagioli’s Edoardo Ascione. “It was a unique operation that was followed by millions of people around the world.”

$150,000-$750,000: Omega Morga Moves a 1,100-Foot-Long Bridge

Crews from Omega Morgan strategi-cally moved the 87-year old Sellwood Bridge in Portland, Ore. from its per-manent concrete supports to tempo-rary steel piers to make way for a new bridge to be constructed across the Wil-lamette River. The Sellwood Bridge—at 1,972 feet long, 75 feet high and, 28 feet wide—is among the state’s busiest bridges with 30,000 vehicle crossings each day.

Once it was secured into place, the old bridge in its new location would be-come a temporary route while the new $307.5 million bridge is built in the original location. The new bridge will open in 2016.

A complication was that it was not a straight-across move. Instead, the east end of the bridge needed to be moved only 33 feet while the west end had to be moved 66 feet. The entire span was also shifted two feet east. Omega Mor-gan’s team started planning for the project in March 2012, moved its crew onsite on January 2, 2013. The actual bridge move occurred over 12 hours on January 19, 2013.

Both Omega Morgan and General Contractor Slayden/Sundt Joint Ven-ture have successfully used this detour bridge method on other projects. Ome-ga Morgan’s collaboration with the general contractor was critical to prop-er project planning and public safety.

Only a week was allowed to jack up, move and jack down the bridge. To minimize downtime, the bridge was actually jacked up with traffic on it. Omega Morgan’s safety manager was included in every phase of project plan-ning to identify any areas of safety con-cern and collaborate with the contrac-tor’s safety plan.

Devising a strategy to move the bridge in one piece helped Omega Mor-gan win the contract after showing that it would save time, money and duplication of efforts. Other proposals had suggested expensive and redun-dant structural features and extensive staging.

The plan involved sliding the aging bridge on skid gear to the north of the

continued from page 59 existing bridge and then mounting it on new piers that had been built in the river. The bridge would then become the “shoofly,” or detour, while construc-tion begins on the new bridge.

Engineers used 10 sliding jacks, 40 lifting jacks and a central control sys-tem to make sure the move progressed as planned. The truss span was de-signed as a continuous structure rather than a series of connected spans. This unusual design required the contractor to move the entire span in one piece.

In preparation for the move, crews removed short spans at the east and west ends of the truss span that will not be part of the new detour bridge. Hydraulic jacks lifted the truss span several inches off the old concrete piers, and then horizontal jacks pushed it on rails along steel transla-tion beams linking the old piers with the detour bridge piers.

The layout of the skid beams and skid track was extremely critical be-cause the track that was up to 1,100 feet apart had to be set on different radii with the same point of rotation. The bridge was moved using pushing cylinders at each bent. Hydraulic flow was metered so that the cylinders at each bent moved the proper amount. Prior to the move, the skid track was marked off in tenth-of-a-foot incre-ments from the starting point of the skid beams. The progress of the skid beams at each bent was monitored against an offset table to ensure that the bridge was staying straight and on a radius of the turn.

Prior to the bridge move, temporary approach spans were installed at the west and east ends of the relocated bridge to link Highway 43 in southwest Portland to S.E. Tacoma Street. They will remain in place throughout con-struction of the new bridge.

The bridge started moving at a pace of about six feet per hour early on a foggy Saturday morning. Dozens of crew members remained on the bridge throughout the move, operating the network of 50 hydraulic jacks that lifted and pushed the bridge on ramps to its new location, and monitoring the truss. During the move crews moni-tored the pressure gauges and adjusted the flow rates at each location accord-ingly.

Under $150,000: Barnhart Re-moves 10 Platforms on Control Tower at Airport

Barnhart removed 10 platforms on a control tower at McCarran Interna-tional Airport in Las Vegas, Nev. Each platform weighed 12,000 pounds and

measured 16 feet long by 19 feet wide by 10 feet tall. All were located 230 feet in the air. With the control cab in place, the tower crane on the project couldn’t remove the platforms.

The outer most diameter of the cab overhung the walls by 18 feet. It was impossible to get the tower crane hook above the center of gravity (CG) of the platforms.

The original plan to remove the platforms was to set winches on the concrete floor slab above, run the line through a hole in floor, rig the line to the platform, and lower it to the ground. But it failed to account for the new architectural façade.

Barnhart presented the tip stick, which was originally designed to tip objects, In this application, the main question was how to secure the plat-form to the tip stick: Where would the pump sit so that the operator could run the pump in while being able to see the pick and how to prevent the hoses form hanging 230 feet in the air?

Barnhart installed lifting eyes on the control pump and rigged it to the tip stick, allowing the pump to function as a counterweight as well. To assure the operator could see the tip stick, a re-mote control with 100 feet of cord was installed. This allowed the operator to grab the remote off of the end of the tip stick and stand on the adjacent plat-form, where he would be able to safely see and make the pick.

The tip stick’s control pump allowed the pick location on the beam to be ma-nipulated. After the connection was made the operator slowly moved the pick point more towards the center of the beam, which is the new CG of the load with the platform attached. The lift director then was able lift the plat-form off the support bolts and fly the platform to the ground.

Rigging was a challenge because it was impossible to place the tip stick directly above the CG. A moment-resis-tant hard connection to the platforms was designed, allowing the platform to be picked even if the CG was not below the beam. A portion of the deck was re-moved and beams were installed over the top of the tip stick.

The safety plan called for crews to ac-cess the platforms using ladders from the level above. Workers were required to tie off prior to exiting the control cab using 50-foot retractable lanyards se-cured to an engineered anchor point. The lifts were timed to ensure planes were not on the adjacent taxiway. Wind was an issue; work was stopped

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continued from previous pageif winds exceeded 20 mph. Two 300-foot taglines controlled the movement of the tip stick to counter the wind.

The work plan addressed crane set-up, boom tip height, tip stick position, swing path, landing zone, platform connection, FAA coordination, access to the platforms, fall protection, fallen worker rescue, and the removal of the last two platforms behind the tower crane. The platform company provide engineering to ensure that the con-nection was safe, and Dielco Crane Service provided the operated Link Belt HC278. Archer Western provided valuable input to the connection, their carpenters performed the deck modifi-cations and connections, and they also coordinated with other operations and the FAA. The job was completed in less than five working days with a crew of eight. It was performed ahead of sched-ule, under budget and without any safety incidents.

The Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA) is an internation-al trade association of more than 1,300 members from 43 nations. Members are involved in specialized transporta-tion, machinery moving and erecting, industrial maintenance, millwright-ing and crane and rigging operations, manufacturing and rental. SC&RA helps members run more efficient and safer businesses by monitoring and af-fecting pending legislation and regula-tory policies at the state and national levels; researching and reporting on safety concerns and best business prac-tices; and providing four yearly forums where these and other relevant mem-ber issues can be advanced.

Spider Lifts Trump to new heights

Spider, a division of SafeWorks, LLC, provided the suspended access solu-tion for the installation of the massive ‘TRUMP’ letters on the Trump Inter-national Hotel and Tower in downtown Chicago.

The project scope included the instal-lation of five stainless steel, LED back-lit letters to the 15th floor level of the city’s second tallest skyscraper. Weigh-ing an average of 900 lbs, each letter varied in size. Collectively the signage spanned 140 linear feet.

Long-time Spider customer Brand Scaffold rented and rigged two 40-ft swing stages powered by Spider’s workhorse SC1000 traction hoists and equipped with walk-thru stirrups for the six-week duration of the project.

This granted the installer, Poblocki Sign Company, safe and secure access to the façade for the sign installation.

Additionally, a monorail trolley beam was installed at the 17th floor level to enable an SC1500 material hoist to be mobilized and repositioned as needed when lifting each of the massive letters safely into place.

When considering the structure’s unique rigging challenges, Spider col-laborated with contractors to tempo-rarily remove a section of windows on the 17th floor and anchor the out-riggers directly into the concrete floor

slabs, two stories above the installation site. A staging area was established on the ground level to store and assemble the swing stage equipment prior to the installation, and a portion of Chicago’s famous Riverwalk below the installa-tion site was closed to pedestrian traf-fic throughout the project’s duration to ensure public safety.

“As a long-time customer of Spider equipment, we couldn’t be happier with their equipment’s ease of use,” commented Mark Eesley, Installa-tions, Service and Building Manger with Poblocki Sign Company. “Even with multiple rigging changes, all trades involved on this complex proj-ect worked seamlessly together to safely install the signage according to the tight timeline.”

working file 2/2/06 8:59 PM Page 14



compact; available in ¼ through 5 Ton capacities with either pendant, cord or twist rod control for precise load control. Standard features include a patented heavy-duty disc brake, reliable vane motor for smooth operation and con-trolled travel, bearing supported plan-etary gearing system and upper/lower limit switches. The hardened steel load chain and the hook and latch system are plated and blue-chromated for corrosion resistance and extended wear.

Harrington Hoists, Inc. is a Kito Group Company located in Manheim, PA, Elizabethtown, PA and Corona, CA and is a leading supplier and manufac-turer of electric and air powered chain hoists, electric wire rope hoists, lever hoists, manual hand chain hoists, push and geared trolleys, overhead cranes, crane accessories and a full line of re-placement parts.

Van Beest has developed a new type of shortening clutch

With this type of clutch, you do not need an extra leg of chain for your shortening clutch, so less components are required at the master link. You simply attach the clutch at any point along a sling leg to shorten the sling length. According to a company release, you can move it up and down the chain to adjust the length exactly where and how you prefer.

This clutch is available from stock for diameters 8 and 13 mm grade 8 and

Harrington Hoists, Inc. releases AL Series (Ex) Certified Spark Resistant and Lube Free Air Hoists

Harrington Hoists, Inc. has intro-duced their new AL Series air hoists which are certified spark resistant to the EU ATEX Directive which is a stringent European safety standard for spark resistant compliance in indus-trial hoists.

The AL series hoists are designed to be used in explosive atmospheres that

require features that reduce the risk of spark to ATEX level (Ex) II 2GD c T5 IIB T100°. These hoists are also suit-able for applications where a clean envi-ronment is a necessity because they can operate completely dry leaving no lubri-cation in the exhaust air which is a re-quirement in certain food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, according to a company release. AL Series hoists can also operate with oil, if the application permits, for longer vane life.

AL series hoists are lightweight and

grade 10 chain. Other sizes will be manufactured

shortly. To learn more about this, and other Van Beest products, visit their website at www.vanbeest.com. For more information including details of the clutch, please contact [email protected].

Stratos® Winch Pro with Dyneema® offers unique benefits to the forestry industrySpecially designed forestry ropes manufactured by Teufelberger Company and made of Dyneema® fiber provide Austrian forest operators with key benefits: weight savings, ease of handling, lower risk of injury and long life

Despite continuing mechanization, harvesting timber places high de-mands on lumberjacks and materials.

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continued from previous pageThis also applies to the ropes used in hauling and winching the timber.

In Austria, both the Archbishop office of Vienna and Ernsthof Forstverwal-tung are among a growing number of forest holders who rely on fiber as op-posed to steel wire ropes for reasons of ergonomics and safety. Between them, the two harvest around 25.000 m3 of timber annually and both are recipi-ents of the prestigious State Award of Role Model Forest Management, grant-ed by Austria’s Federal Ministry of Ag-riculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management.

For hauling the logs, both forest hold-ers have been using advanced winch ropes made with Dyneema® for more than five years. Dyneema® is DSM’s brandname for its extremely tear and splice resistant fiber of high-modulus polyethylene (HMPE). The typical ap-plication comprises a tractor with fixed hauling equipment, including a rope winch providing a traction force of up to 10 tons.

The patented forestry ropes are manufactured by Teufelberger Com-pany and marketed under the STRA-TOS® Winch Pro brand. To avoid the core rope that bears the traction force becoming frayed, particularly on rocky terrain, Teufelberger covers the Dyneema® core of its STRATOS® winch ropes with an especially tight Dyneema® braid. With this rope de-sign, even the medium-sized 15 mm di-ameter STRATOS® Winch Pro rope (12 mm core + 3 mm mantle) is rated for a minimum break load of 160 kN and a splice resistance of 150 kN, according to a company release.

STRATOS® Winch Pro ropes have proven to be an extremely rugged, lighter and safer alternative to conven-tional steel wire ropes. A key argument is their lower weight: “It makes a big difference in time and labor, whether two or three lumberjacks must pull a 100 kg steel rope uphill, or whether the same work can be done with a fi-ber rope that weighs only 12 kg.” says Alfred Steiner from the Feistritzwald district management of the Vienna Archbishopric.

With these fiber ropes, research shows timber can be harvested up to 20% faster, increasing productivity. Furthermore, forest engineer Mar-tin Exenberger from Ernsthof Forst-verwaltung emphasizes the higher safety in case a rope should unex-pectedly fissure: “Steel ropes, when torn apart, will snap out of control, whereas the synthetic rope will sim-

ply fall down without any spiky or broken wire strands. The risk of in-jury is significantly reduced.” More-over, experience has shown that the

winch ropes with Dyneema® last two or three times as long as the former steel ropes.

Erich Rührnößl, development engi-neer at Teufelberger in Wels, Austria, highlights the company’s many years of collaboration with DSM Dyneema on several rope projects. “Before in-troducing STRATOS® to the market, we executed comprehensive abrasion, breakage and tensile strength tests in order to make sure the fiber ropes will at least provide the same per-formance that our customers expect from wire ropes – however at signifi-cantly lower weight.“

Teufelberger supports its forestry customers with tailor-made accesso-ries, such as special rope end bonds that prevent the winch rope from be-ing pushed off by twitch hooks, thus effectively protecting the rope cover along the entire length of the rope. Patented splice end bonds permit fast on-site repairs, which is of major importance particularly at low tem-peratures in winter. For its STRA-TOS® Anchor guyline rope devel-oped for yarders, the company was honored with Austria’s State Award for Innovation.

Dyneema® is 15 times stronger by weight than quality steel and up to 40 percent stronger than aramid fi-bers. Its minimum break load excels that of steel wire and other synthetic fibers. Dyneema® floats on water, is resistant to moisture, UV irradiation and chemicals, and has been OEKO-TEX® certified. Its application po-tential is therefore more or less un-limited, including but not limited to: fine yarns for sporting goods as well as light body armor, winches and nautical ropes.



Chant Engineering offers summer internship for engineering student from Sweden

Chant Engineering of New Britain welcomes Victor Andersson from Swe-den for a summer internship. Victor is currently on summer break from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden where he is planning on gradu-ating in 2017 with a Master of Science & Mechanical Engineering degree.

Chant Engineering currently part-ners with Talurit AB of Sweden where Victor’s father, Thommy Andersson, is the managing director.

“With Victor following in his father’s footsteps, we thought it would be a great learning experience for him to get some hands on experience here in

fore returning to school.For more information or employment

opportunities at Chant Engineering, visit the website @ www.chantengi-neering.com.

J. Robert Sims, Jr. begins term as President of ASME

J. Robert Sims, Jr., senior engineer-ing fellow at Becht Engineering Co. Inc., Liberty Creek, N.J., has been elect-ed president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for a one-year term beginning July 2014.

ASME issued the announcement at the Society’s 2014 Annual Meeting, which concluded June 11 in Portland, OR. Sims becomes the 133rd president of ASME, an organization of 130,000 members worldwide.

He has been an active member of ASME for more than 33 years and is a recognized authority on risk-based technologies. At Becht Engineering, Sims provides consulting services in failure analysis of pressure equipment, pressure vessel and piping system de-sign and analysis, mechanical integrity evaluation and Fitness-For-Service analysis, and the design of high pres-sure oil and gas well equipment.

Prior to joining Becht Engineering in 1998, Sims worked for more than thirty years with Exxon (now ExxonMobil), the last ten years as a pressure equip-ment specialist with worldwide respon-sibility for standards and improving equipment integrity.

Sims is a fellow of ASME and has served in a number of leadership roles, particularly in areas involving the So-ciety’s codes, standards and certifica-tion processes. He is the recipient of the Society’s Dedicated Service Award (1995), the J. Hall Taylor Codes and Standards Medal (2004) and the Mel-vin R. Green Codes and Standards Medal (2006).

Sims earned his degree in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University and served two years as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy.

LGH Adds New Rental Representatives

Lifting Gear Hire (LGH) recently hired Jason Rios as a new Rental Rep-resentative for the New York Metro Area market and Jim Meyer for the Iowa market.

Jason comes to LGH with over 15 years of sales experience, and was in

the United States to compare it to his manufacturing experience in Sweden”, says Philip Chant, President of Chant Engineering.

“It’s also a fantastic cross-cultural experience for the employees of Chant, to work side by side with Victor”.

Victor doesn’t mind giving up his summer break, as he says, “I’m here for four weeks, so I only have 2 more to go and I’m learning a lot of new things every day. It’s a great opportunity to take what I’m learning in college and apply that knowledge in the field.” He also says, “even though the American culture is different, we are a lot alike”. Victor plans on a trip to Florida and a quick trip to New York before return-ing to Sweden, then perhaps squeezing in some fishing, hunting and sports be-

Philip Chant, President of Chant Engineering & Victor Andersson


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pand their presence in stainless steel wire, cable, and cable assembly mar-kets.

Meghan received her undergraduate degree in Communications from Bry-ant University. She comes to Loos and Company with a strong background in the marketing and communications fields. In her most recent role, she was responsible for developing and main-taining marketing content, monitoring social media, and generating press re-leases, among other duties.

“I am thrilled to join the Loos and Company team as their Marketing As-sistant,” said Meghan. “I am confident my expertise will allow us to continue to provide our customers with the in-formation they need to design solutions using Loos and Company’s products.”

Please join us here at www.loosco.com in welcoming our newest team member.

Chant welcomes Matthew Conway to their expanding Technical Sales Department

Chant Engineering Co., Inc. is pleased to announce the addition of Matthew Conway to the Chant team. Matthew comes to Chant with over 20 years of experience.

Patrick Shire, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Chant Engineering, said “As Chant continues to grow, Mat-thew will be relied upon to foster new relationships as well as calling on our existing customer base. His diverse capital equipment experience will be an invaluable asset to our technical sales team. I look forward to seeing him grow into his new role.”

Prior to joining Chant, Matthew worked in many facets of capital equip-ment providers including; field service, technical support, customer and ser-vice personnel training, applications,

the US Marines for 14 years. Jason has a great understanding of customer needs in the construction industry. Ja-son is eager to demonstrate who LGH is and how LGH can help you with your equipment needs. In turn, he is ready to help build and develop his territory.

Jim comes to LGH with over 20 years of sales experience. He comes from a background of similar tools and cus-tomer base. With his prior contacts he will have the advantage of a quick edu-cation, referral opportunities and will know what customer loo for and need in equipment. Jim has a passion for customer service and is excited to build his territory.

Founded in 1990, Lifting Gear Hire (LGH) is the United States’ largest single organization devoted exclusive-ly to the provision of lifting and mov-ing equipment for rent and sale. LGH provides hoisting, pulling, jacking, rigging, material handling and safety equipment available for immediate and safe use. LGH’s mission is to of-fer expertise in the rental of the safest and most reliable hoisting and rigging equipment to build and support a bet-ter America.LGH – Puts Safety First. www.lgh-usa.com.

Loos & Company Expands Sales and Marketing Team

Loos and Company is excited to an-nounce the hiring of Meghan Buisson as their new Marketing Assistant. In this role, she will be responsible for contributing to the overall marketing strategy as the company looks to ex-

product management, and direct sales.Chant Engineering Co. is a global

diversified engineering company that designs, manufactures, services and calibrates testing machines, systems and related accessories for worldwide industrial and military customers. Chant is the Authorized North Ameri-can distributor for TALURIT AB prod-ucts and Friedrich Höppe. For more in-formation on Chant Engineering, visit www.chantengineering.com.

Matthew Conway

Meghan Buisson


Please turn to the pages indicated belowfor a detailed view of advertisers’ products or services.

Accutech .......................................................57

All Material Handling .................................74, 76

Allied Power Products ....................................20

Associated Wire Rope & Rigging, Inc. ... 19, 49, 58

Buffalo Lifting and Testing ..............................70

C. Sherman Johnson Co., Inc. ........................44

Caldwell Company, Inc. ......................14, 46, 84

Chant Engineering Co., Inc. ............................23

Chicago Hardware ..........................................12

Cleveland City Forge .......................................29

The Crosby Group ......................................2, 51

Distributor Computer Systems ........................71

Downs Crane & Hoist Co., Inc. .......................71

Elite ...............................................................45

Engineered Lifting Tech ..................................67

Esmet ............................................................33

Gaylin International Co. Pte. Ltd. .....................83

Harrington Hoists and Cranes ..........................61

Ken Forging, Inc. ............................................28

KWS, Inc. .......................................................55

Landmann ........................................................6

Lift-All ............................................................53

Lubrication Engineers, Inc. .............................41

Morse-Starrett Products Co. ...........................40

Muncy Industries .....................................35, 50

Peerless Chain ...............................................15

Premier Wire Rope ...........................................3

Promec ..........................................................54

Ronstan .........................................................37

Sea Catch ......................................................81

Scotload UK Ltd. ............................................57

Skookum .......................................................56

Slingmax Rigging Products ...............................4

Slinguard Protectors .......................................48

Southern Wire ................................................22

SPS ...............................................................21

Strider~Resource ..........................................13

Suncor Stainless, Inc. .............................. 42-43

Talurit .............................................................23

Taylor Chain Company ...................................75

Terrier Lifting Clamps .....................................31

Van Beest BV .................................................11

Vanguard .......................................................39

Weisner .........................................................30

Wichard, Inc. .................................................65

Windy Ridge Corporation ................................55

Wirop Industrial Co., Ltd. ................................25

Yale Cordage, Inc. ..........................................32

Yoke Industrial Corp. ..................................5, 27

Advertisers Index

of Wire Rope NewsHELPING US IN


POSITION AVAILABLEBridon’s mission is to be the Global Tech-

nology Leader in the manufacture of demand-ing rope applications and the customer’s first choice solutions provider. As a result of our continued effort to remain the industry leader, we are seeking qualified candidates to join our team. Bridon offers a comprehensive compen-sation and benefits package. Interested can-didates may apply by sending a resume and salary requirements to [email protected].

Position: District Sales Manager in the Gulf Coast Region

This position is responsible for promoting, selling, and securing orders from existing and prospective Oil & Gas and Crane customers through a relationship and technical knowl-edge based approach. Bridon is known world-wide for superior quality and excellent product service. The successful candidate will articu-late these strengths to extract maximum val-ue for premium Bridon brand wire rope. The candidate will develop strong relationships with existing customers and active account prospecting where market share opportunities exist; generate new business at both existing and new accounts by leveraging our product capabilities and technical expertise.

The successful candidate will have knowl-edge of the Oil & Gas production and servicing business with at least 3 years’ experience in sales roles with a demonstrated track record of positive results. In addition, the candidate shall have experience working with distribu-tion, strong mechanical aptitude, trouble-shooting skills, as well as excellent commu-nication skills – both oral and written. A technical degree is preferred.

Travel will be required 50% -70% of the time. International travel may also be required. Ide-al candidate would be centrally located within the region or willing to relocate.

KULKONI, Inc, a Houston based wholesaler of wire rope & rigging/lifting products, is look-ing for a dynamic outside sales representative. Successful candidates will have industry expe-rience & be self-motivated to grow & excel with us in today’s competitive market. Extensive travel will be required. You will be tasked to service and maintain existing relationships, as well as develop new prospects into accounts. Excellent verbal, written communication, & presentation skills are required. Kulkoni offers a comprehensive health & benefits package plus a matching 401k plan. Please send your resume to [email protected]. Kulkoni, Inc. is an EOE.

Marine industrial rigging shop looking for CDL driver and rigger experienced only must be willing to work in labor intense environ-ment. Mechanically inclined. Contact John at 508-993-0070.

Southern Weaving is recruiting for an ex-perienced sales professional to serve our sling web market. The Sales Manager position will be based at our location in Greenville, SC; however, up to 70% travel is anticipated. Ideal candidate will have a college degree and at least seven years relevant industry experi-ence.

To learn more about our company, please visit www.southernweaving.com. Interested candidates should email resume and salary requirements to [email protected]. Please include SALES in the subject line.

Southern Weaving provides equal employ-

ment opportunities to minorities, females, vet-erans, disabled individuals, as well as other protected groups.

Company: Southern Wire, a leading whole-saler/distributor of wire rope, slings, chain, and fittings is expanding its sales force.

We are seeking Inside Sales Representa-tives for the Memphis, TN area. We offer a competitive base salary and commission program. Our excellent benefits package in-cludes medical, dental, life, disability, paid vacation, and 401K. Please visit company website: www.houwire.com.

College degree preferred - Industry knowl-edge a must. Send resume in confidence to: [email protected] or Fax# 662-893-4732. *No calls please*

Muncy Industries, LLC, has been providing quality wire rope fittings, lifting hardware, and machines for over 60 years. Originally based out of Pennsylvania, we have recently opened a second location in Lafayette, Louisi-ana. Muncy Industries is seeking an individ-ual with experience in the wire rope industry to help lead the sales team in our Louisiana location.

Requirements include:• Knowledge of the wire rope industry or

related industry in the gulf area is a must.• Excellent written and verbal communica-

tion skills.• Team player, good with people.• Must be able to set and attain goals in a

timely manner.• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and

Quick-Books.We offer competitive wages alongside an

excellent benefits package including 100% medical, life, disability, and 401K. Contact us via e-mail: [email protected] or fax: 570-649-5850.

Outside sales representative needed for a well established distributor of wire rope, rig-ging hardware, chain and related industry products, located in Central Arkansas. The qualified individual will possess industry knowledge and the ability to develop new ac-counts and grow existing accounts. Our com-pany offers a competitive salary, bonus struc-ture and benefits package. If you are qualified please e-mail your resume with salary history to: Reference Box12-01 on subject line, and reply to [email protected].

Wire Rope Industries, one of the leading manufacturers of premium ropes with more than 125 years of experience, is opening a regional sales rep position to support the growing business in South/Central USA. We are looking for a dynamic candidate with ex-perience in the lifting industry and a proven ability to excel in competitive environments. Strong personality, focus, drive, and the abil-ity to develop accounts in a fast and sustain-able way are required. We offer competitive compensation, industry-leading training, and opportunities for growth. If you are interested in joining the leading innovators in the pre-mium market, please e-mail your resume to [email protected].

Company: Nelson Wire Rope CorporationDescription: Established in 1979 in Hat-

field, Pa, Nelson Wire Rope Corporation is a leader in wire rope fabrication and product distribution. We offer a wide array of prod-ucts for the lifting, towing, construction, traf-

fic control and other industries. Location: Hatfield, PAEmployee Type: FulltimeIndustry: Manufacturing, Wire Rope and

Sling IndustryJob Title: Outside-Inside SalesRequired Education: Industry experience,

degree preferred Required Travel: Frequent Day TripsOther: Local Candidates OnlyInterested candidates should e-mail re-

sume to: [email protected]. Job Duties and Responsibilities:• Aggressively identifies and contacts pro-

spective customers by phone and on-site vis-its. Ability to conduct sales presentations of company products or services while on site. Plans effective strategies to capture new busi-ness. Proven ability to generate new sales.

• Provide inside customer service and sales. Skills and Qualifications:• Excellent customer service skills; strong

written and verbal communication skills, out-going personality, team player.

• Effective time management, organization and multi-tasking skills.

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, Out-look.

Education and Experience: • Minimum of three (3) years experience

in an Outside sales role, and five (5) years experience in Inside Sales/Customer Service experience.

• Knowledge of wire rope, crane cable, rig-ging, construction or related industry.

Inside wire rope sales representative:90+ year family owned business is looking

for an experienced inside Wire Rope repre-sentative, to replace retiring veteran sales-man. Candidates must be reliable, honest, strong work ethic, and demonstrate good communication skills. Our company provides excellent compensation and benefits to our team members, including Paid vacation, holi-day, and sick leave, 401K Retirement plan with matching, excellent insurance benefits - Medical, Dental, Vision, RX, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance. M-F. office hours. Drug free workplace.

Please reply to: Attention: Cherise, Rasmus-sen Wire Rope and Rigging Co. Inc. 415 south Cloverdale Street, P.O. Box 81206 Seattle, WA 98108, Phone: 206-762-3700, Fax: 206-762-5003, e-mail: [email protected].

Certified Slings & Supply, Florida’s largest family owned rigging, contractor and indus-trial supply company is seeking experienced sales representatives for our Florida territo-ries.

The suitable candidate will be aggressive and detail-oriented with experience in sell-ing overhead lifting, load securement and fall protection equipment along with other con-tractor supplies and have a proven successful sales history.

Our 53-year family-owned company pro-vides excellent benefits to our team members including medical insurance, holiday and va-cation pay and 401(k) with company match.

If you share our core values and the expe-rience we are looking for we look forward to hearing from you. E-mail your resume and salary requirements to Attention Team Mem-ber Relations at [email protected] or fax to 407-260-9196.

Our Purpose: To grow through challenge and opportunity ‘with passion’ while benefit-

continued


experienced individual that can assist in formulating a marketing and business plan. This position will eventually evolve to a sales manager or general manager. Fax your re-sume in strict confidence to 330-452-2331 at-tention Kris Lee or e-mail to [email protected].

HELP WANTEDFast growing Billings Montana industrial

supply and rigging shop seeks experienced rig-ger and wire rope assembler. Must be familiar with all aspects of rigging shop operations. E-mail resume to [email protected].

POSITION WANTEDOur client requires a part-time Bookkeeper

(1-2 days/week) to assist them with an on-going temporary assignment. This position could become permanent for the right candi-date. You will be responsible for Bookkeeping, Accounts Payable entering, setting up inven-tory, filing, organizing and some administra-tive duties. You must be able to thrive in a team environment and also work well alone.

The successful candidate for this role will have excellent knowledge of Simply Account-

continued

ing team members, customers and vendors. Our Core Values: Service, Quality, Team, Commitment, Communication, Integrity, Respect. Our Mission: We will be the most trusted and respected company in rigging, overhead lifting, load securement and con-tractor supplies in the world. Please visit our website at www.certifiedslings.com. EOE/AA/MFDV. Drug Free Workplace – Drug testing required. Florida Locations include: Orlando, Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Tam-pa and Ocala.

Fabrication manager/customer service. Work in a family oriented business with an opportunity to earn part ownership. Need someone 35-55+ years old who started at the bottom and looking to finish at the top. Need hands on splicing experience, lifting rigging experience, test bed knowledge, able to direct small growing crew. Basic computer knowl-edge. Willing to train and mentor young em-ployees. Top wages and benefits for the right individual. Problem solver that our custom-ers can depend on. Honesty and integrity a must. Call Chuck Farmer, President, Rouster Wire Rope and Rigging, Inc., 304-228-3722, in confidence.

Philadelphia, PA Wire Rope & Fabrication shop has inside customer sales/service posi-tion. Experience in rigging or crane indus-tries a plus. Contact us via e-mail: [email protected] or fax: 610-687-0912.

Looking for sales professional. Comprehen-sive understanding of wire rope, chain, nylon, and fall protection preferred. Sales experience required. Competitive salary plus commission. Benefit package included. E-mail resumes to [email protected].

Leading manufacturer of below the hook lifting devices seeks a mechanical engineer who has experience with designing below the hook lifters. Experience with motorized control systems is a plus. Excellent working environment, compensation and schedule all

in a fantastic, southern coastal area! Please send resume to Tandemloc, 824 Highway 101, Havelock, NC 28532, [email protected] or call 252-463-8113.

Web and Round Sling Dept. Manager; Arctic Wire Rope and Supply in Anchorage

Alaska is looking for an experienced person to run a small but active sewing and round sling department.

Must be accomplished at sewing and teach-ing others how to fabricate multiple ply and width web slings, working with a round sling machine and adapting to ours. Must be com-fortable with non-standard / custom orders.

Pay is $18-22/hr DOE, major medical, 401k with 8% company match. Winters can be cold and long, should enjoy playing in the snow if possible, no city or state tax and you get a yearly permanent dividend from the State after one year of residency. E-mail resume to [email protected].

Sales manager needed for Chicago market. Must have strong understanding of wire rope, chain, hardware. Must be able to establish goals and achieve desired results. Computer literate, minimal travel. Salesforce knowledge a plus. Competitive salary and benefits. Reply to box 11-4, care of Wire Rope News, 511 Colo-nia Blvd., Colonia, NJ 07067.

Texas Wire Rope Company expanding inside sales department. Individuals must have a strong technical, mechanical and basic mathematical aptitude, including basic com-puter knowledge. Selected candidates must be quality conscious and able to handle multiple tasks. Previous experience in the industrial supply market is necessary. We offer a drug-free, results-oriented work environment with excellent wages and advancement opportuni-ties. Resumes received confidentially at [email protected].

Established wire rope distributor in North America is expanding into crane/container rope and fabrication. We are looking for an

Fax: (1-732) 396-4215


ing. Strong written and oral communication is a must. To be considered for this great op-portunity please e-mail us at [email protected].

Outside sales professional with 20+ years experience seeking full time position. Willing to relocate. Reply to [email protected].

Experienced Wire Rope Sling (Flemish) fabricator needed. CWR Hawaii is seeking a worker with knowledge and hands-on ability to fabricate wire rope and chain assemblies. Full-time, 401k, vacation, insurance, and other benefits. Relocationg cost can be nego-tiated.

If you are interested in working for our company, please e-mail me at [email protected] or call me at 808-843-2020.

Loos & Co., Inc. manufactures stainless and nickel alloy wire and cable products. We are seeking an Engineer with experience in metallurgy, preferably with a wire drawing background. Must have a BS in metallurgy, or substantial industry experience in wire or specialty metals industries. Medical grade alloys knowledge is a definite plus. We offer competitive wages with a comprehensive ben-efit program. An EEO/AA Company.

Visit our website at www.loosco.com. Forward resumes to [email protected].

Former Division-Product Manager, Re-gional Outside Sales Manager desires south-east territory to manage and solicit accounts in the wire rope, chain, fittings, and related industries. Over 25 years experience includ-ing District Manager, Bethlehem Wire Rope, Regional Manager, Wire Rope Ind Product Manager, Rud Chain, Inc. Interested parties reply to M.E. (Mike) Givens [email protected], ph 256-476-7700.

West Coast Wire Rope and Rigging is look-ing to hire experienced riggers. Please send your resume to: 7777 7th Ave. South, Seattle, WA 98108, attention manager.

SEEKING MERGERRigging products company seeks merger:

A nationally-prominent rigging equipment manufacturer seeks to grow through merger with similar company. Strong brand recogni-tion and extensive cargo control, wire rope, chain and synthetic sling production capabili-ties have fueled our growth. We now seek a merger partner so that we may take advan-tage of economies of scale and get to the “next level”. The business is not for sale; merger inquiries only. Principals only please, no bro-kers. Respond in confidence to [email protected].

Well established and growing manufactur-er and distributor of overhead lifting and ma-terial handling products is seeking acquisi-tions to continue to power our growth. We are looking for rigging shops and hoists and crane distributors in the upper Midwest. Principles only please reply to [email protected].

REPS WANTEDSouthern Weaving is seeking Independent

Sales Representatives. We prefer a sales pro-fessional who currently calls on sling makers and rigging companies and is familiar with the industry. Check us out at www.southern-weaving.com. For more information, contact Tommy Lee, Sales Director, at 864-240-9372

or [email protected].

Sunwood Inc., manufacturer of nets, slings, etc. since 1986, (formerly known as Fl. nets & slings supply) is expanding nationwide & looking for ambitious independent reps in US and Canada. Check our webiste: www.net-sandslings.com before contacting us. We of-fer several protected territories without any restriction of house accounts. Generous com-mission paid when order is shipped (not when $ collected). Call 954-788-7144 or e-mail: [email protected].

Sales rep wanted for an established man-ufacturer of labels and sling tags. We are looking for a sales rep that currently calls on sling makers and rigging companies and is familiar with the business. Etiflex is a reg-istered trademark and manufactures custom sling tags for synthetic and wire rope slings and has an excellent reputation in the field. We advertise in trade journals and exhibit at industry shows to generate brand awareness. Please contact us at [email protected] or call 866-ETIFLEX for information.

Manufacturer Represtentatives for Lift-ing Equipment & Accessories wanted by ALL MATERIAL HANDLING, Inc. Territories are now available and supported by our 4 USA Warehouses where our highly competitive and top quality products are stocked to the roof. Partner with us as we continue to grow mar-ket share. Check us out at www.allmaterial-handling.com and reach us at 877 543-8264, or e-mail [email protected].

Well established manufacturer of wire rope assemblies seeks manufacturer repre-sentatives for most major U.S. and Canadian markets. Visit our web site at www.thecable-connection.com. Please contact [email protected] or call Ray at (800) 851-2961

PRODUCT LINES WANTEDMerit Sales, Inc. (Manufacturer Represen-

tatives) is looking for rigging related lines to compliment the manufacturers we currently represent. If you need sales people in any of our states (AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA) please contact. We also have 2 regional warehouses available in the At-lanta area & Houston. e-mail: [email protected] or call Johnny at 713-664-7723.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICESDragline range & depth extended using

gravity return. Contact Nielsen by fax for de-tails (fax) 904-342-0547

EQUIPMENT WANTEDWanted: Used test stand for manual hoists

static testing, up to 10-tons. Contact John Gideon at [email protected] or Phone 770-266-5700.

Wanted 600t wire rope swaging press com-plete with dies in good order, please contact [email protected], or Tele 0064 3 366 1528.

Wanted: used wire rope cable, sizes 1-1/8”, 1”, and 7/8”. Please call for pricing. (740) 452-5770.

PROPERTY FOR SALEIndustrial Warehouse Opportunity: Atlanta

area. 20,000 sq.ft. with 2 dock height bay. First floor 1600 sq.ft.; Offices, 2nd floor, 3 bedroom/1 bath apt. or office, 1600 sq.ft. Central AC/heat. Total land: 2.24 acres near I-85, sale/lease/op-tion. Only $355,000 cash. E-mail: [email protected], tel. 706-599-3270.

FOR SALENew wire rope: 400 ft. 2-1/4” Wireco (St. Jo-

seph, MO. / USA) 7-Flex bright IWRC $4.95/ft. = $1980.00. F.O.B. Longview, WA. Please contact L.G. Isaacson Co. - Charlie Isaacson - ph.(360) 754-6020.

“Nets & slings” equipment (used) are of-fered at bargain prices (best offer will take it): Singer- 6 Sewing machines H.D. w/benches. Kiwi- Web printing machine, complete set-up. Tinius Olsen- Testing machine 60K. Call us at 954-788-7144 or e-mail: [email protected].

3/16" Campbell Chain L3x51 Links- Zinc; 3200 pieces 48" with 5/16" S Hook; 1100 pieces 15" with 5/16"x2.5" O ring; In NC. Best Offer [email protected], 800-342-9130 x 124, Andy.

New wire rope 1-1/8” drill line 5000 ft. 6x195 BR RR IFWV $30,000 Aud & freight. Reply to Brayd Gross, Alpha Rigging SErvice, 11-13 Gerberte Court, Wurruk, Victoria, Australia, 3850. Phone 0011+61351461088. E-mail: [email protected].

Crosby 7/8” G213 LPA shackles. NEW! 205 pieces available. Contact Gary Lee @ 1-800-844-3517. Fax 251-456-8860.

Impacto Cable cutters and parts available from Windy Ridge Corp. Tamworth, NH, USA. 800-639-2021. Fax 603-323-2322.

New Wireco: 6 X 26 construction, 7/8” X 5,700’ - 1” X 1,000’ ¾” X 3,500 – 5/8” X 3,000’ – 1-3/8” X 1,350’ – 1-3/8” X 1,500” – 7/16” X 5,000’ – 1” X 300. All New.

Also available: new assorted Esco shackles. Call Tom at 541-378-7006 for pricing and de-tails.

HARDWARE FOR SALE12 new galvanized open spelter sockets for

sale $125 each. Sockets are for 1” wire rope, have 2” pin and are marked “108 YX9826 CE”. Contact Jim at [email protected].

Overstocked inventory for sale, 1-3/8” Shackle, WLL 13½ ton, galvanized, round pin, import. Super savings. Sold in minimum lots of 50 at $9 each. Eric Parkerson, Certified Slings, 407-331-6677.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALEReel-o-matic cable reel model RS/2M11.

Capactiy 2500 lbs., 1.5 HP drive, 220V 3PH machine $1500 - Call Shlomo 973-523-7760.

National swage 1000 ton press. Excellent condition, including most dies up to two inch, $110,000. Barry, Bilco Wire Rope & Supply Corp., 908-351-7800 or [email protected].

1-800 ton Esco, 1-500 ton National, 1-500 ton Esco, 1-350 Esco. 713-641-1552.

150 ton, Wirop C-type hydraulic swaging ma-chine for sale. Brand new, with 4 sets of dies. $19,500 or B/O. Call Oscar at 909-548-2884.

Wire Rope Grips for proof test machines. Sizes: 1-1/2”, 2”, 2-1/2”. Load cells & digital read-outs also available. Call Joe Roberts (912) 964-9465.

Prooftesters for sale. Capacities from 20,000 lbs. to 3,000,000 lbs. Call Joe Roberts (912) 964-9465.

CLASSIFIEDcontinued from previous page

Caldwell quality. Guaranteed.Our expanded INSTOCK* program has many items available for same dayshipment. Call us at 800-628-4263 to place your order now. Orders placedafter 12:00 PM (CST) ship the next business day. *Not all sizes are available for same day shipment.

The Caldwell Group • 5055 26th Ave. Rockford, IL 61109 • 800.628.4263 • caldwellinc.com

SHIPS THE SAME DAYDesigned and manufactured to ASME B30.20 and BTH-1.

ORDER BY NOONNEW

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Documents

synthetic slings

path slings provenin

wire rope slings

year history of twin

important features

sling industry

technology results

lifting plusunits